More than just an apprentice
by Hinata HyuUchiha
Summary: Post-things change. Raven sees a vision of a certain ex-titan and villain, knowing that a certain leader and changeling will be affected by the news. But why does it feel real and why has Beast Boy been acting so...violent lately? She only knew that Slade had been after an apprentice all this time. But what if his intentions are much darker...? Complete!
1. Prologue

Prologue:

She was losing her concentration…and the battle as well.

Her shield shattered, sending her onto the hard floor and before she could scramble to her feet, a figure approached her.

"What hurts the most? Did it hurt when you realized that I'm better at controlling my powers?"

She managed to get into a sitting position.

"Did it hurt to see that I'm better liked than you?" the figure spoke as a hand lifted.

The short-haired girl at the ground stared in horror as a large stalagmite hovered above her.

A sneer spread onto the looming person in shiny metal armor. "Or the fact that deep down, you thought I was really your friend?"

Fear and anger boiled inside the girl on the ground but she suppressed them.

The hand dropped, as did the stalagmite.

Her world went dark.

She awoke with terrible headache and with shock realized that she was not in her room.

A heavy door opened and the blonde girl who had apparently let her last attack slip, grabbed her arm and shoved her out the door.

"Where are you taking me?" the Goth asked, realizing that her hands were tied behind her back with a metal clasp.

"To your master," was the reply, as they approached a large hall.

"If you think that I'll go down without a fight, think again."

She saw a hideous sneer before her captor spoke. "I brought her here just like you wished," The blond-haired spoke and pushed her forward.

"And you'll lose me as fast-"

"Very good, apprentice."

The prisoner stopped dead, hearing that cold, controlled voice, remembering her encounter with her diabolical father.

"No!"

"I told you that I had a message to deliver. And I will deliver, whether you like it or not."

She stared at the orange and black mask before raising her question. "What is your message?"

He moved his hand.

"An apprentice?" she asked before she realized that someone steeped out from behind him.

And her eyes widened in pure horror as she realized that someone stood before her in an orange and black suit, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Robin?"

Raven awoke with a start.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Target "Titans, go!" Robin shouted as red lights and blaring alarms filled the Titan tower and rushed to the T-car, followed by Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and last but not least, Beast Boy.  
"Who do you think is responsible for the blaring of the alarms, Robin?" Starfire inquired, seeing the pensive expression on his face from her backseat.  
"I'm not sure. But since it's near a construction site I guess Cinderblock might be behind this."  
"And exactly what is he behind at?" Raven asked curiously.  
His brows furrowed in concentration before he answered: "He's after something from Wayne Enterprises so I guess it must be a software or computer chip."  
A long silence hung in the air.  
The last time he was at Wayne Enterprises, he was the titans' enemy – and Slade's apprentice. But it seemed that Slade was no longer active because he hasn't been spotted since the incident with Trigon.  
"Don't you think that maybe it was the creature we saw the other day? The creature that could transform into anything it touches?" Cyborg asked but received a headshake from their leader.  
"I don't think so. Why didn't it steal anything from the company the day we fought him? And it didn't defeat us, remember?" Robin stated crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
Beast Boy remembered clearly.  
After he ran away from the Terra lookalike and arrived at the scene of the fight, the creature…just escaped before he could even transform into anything. And that was strange.  
"So what does he want with a computer chip? Play video games?" Beast Boy asked with a chuckle, trying to cheer everyone's mood.  
"I don't know…but all we know is that we have to stop it from happening," Robin said with determination.  
They finally arrived at the company of Robin's former mentor. The security guards were tied up and apparently sleeping in front of the entrance and Robin ordered Starfire and Raven to take care of them.  
Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy made their way inside the huge building and were faced with a reception hall.  
No secretary.  
But it wasn't closing time yet.  
They made their way further inside through a long hallway until they came to a stop at another hall.  
Glass and metal scraps were scattered around the floor, indicating that someone very reckless had arrived earlier and was apparently searching for something.  
After Robin had inspected his surrounding, his eyes fell on the large figure at the very end of the hall, blocking the view of a glass container.  
"Cinderblock!" the titan leader shouted.  
The huge stone giant turned around and Robin smirked.  
In his large hand he held a small yellow chip.  
Robin sprang into action and charged at Cinderblock with smoke pellets, covering the whole hall. "Don't let him recover!" Robin shouted and when the smoke began to clear, Cinderblock was rammed by a T-Rex full force, causing him to fall. "Let there be light," Cyborg shouted and aimed his sonic canon at the fallen giant only to have his attack intercepted by a pillar which send him against the opposite wall.  
Meanwhile Robin saw that Cinderblock had dropped the chip and was currently falling from a considerable height. He wasted no time and used the railing of the stairway to reach higher ground. Robin jumped, his hand reaching out for the small chip…only for another gloved hand to snatch it from under him and sending his foot into Robin's chest afterwards.  
Robin managed to avoid a painful fall, landing on his feet and stared angrily at the thief.  
And the thief was none other than Red X.  
"Thanks for taking care of that huge nuisance, kid," Red X said coolly, pointing back at Cinderblock.  
"This time, I won't let you get away!"  
Robin took out his Bo staff and charged at the thief. Unfortunately, Red X was also skilled in martial arts and they were on par. The titan leader swung his staff in circles to block some x's flying his way and with a leap slammed his staff against Red X, only for him to block it.  
"We might be similar but I will always get what I want," Red X taunted.  
"We're nothing alike. And that's why you won't get this chip," Robin retorted with pride, swinging his staff against the thief's hand, causing him to drop the chip.  
"The chip!"  
Robin had already flung himself at the chip when Red X realized that the chip was not in his possession anymore.  
But something caught his eye.  
He saw that a green T-Rex has been flung against the wall by an angered giant. The T- Rex turned back into a green boy before he was replaced by a hawk, flying into the air to evade a flying door. The hawk dropped suddenly and turned to a tiger mid-flight, bringing the giant back down to his knees.  
But what animal was harder than pure rock?  
The tiger remained motionless for a moment but that was all it took for the giant to push him off.  
"Not in the face," Beast Boy cried, seeing a huge rock foot about to stomp him.  
But the impact never came.  
He opened his eyes and saw with surprise that a black shield stood between him and Cinderblock's foot.  
Starfire threw some starbolts at him but didn't even scratch his hard exterior.  
"I can't hold…on much longer," Raven cried, straining under the pressure And before Raven's shield shattered, Red X pushed Beast Boy out of the way.  
Cyborg had recovered from the last attack and this time landed a hit in Cinderblock's face. "Boo-ya!" he shouted victorious.  
"Don't let Red X get away!" the titans heard their leader shout.  
Starfire fired her laser from her eyes but Red X was faster and managed to capture her with one of his X's.  
"I will not be restrained!" Starfire said angrily, making Red X chuckle.  
"You know, you're cute when you're angry."  
Unfortunately his conversation was stopped when he heard a voice behind him. "Azarath, Metrion,-"  
And before Raven could finish, a red x was taped to her mouth.  
Red X was about to continue his search for the chip when he heard a loud roar from behind him.  
Cyborg was charging at him with a green triceratops but Red X managed to evade and threw another red x which expanded in the air and tied both Beast Boy and Cyborg.  
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry."  
"So am I," Robin said and threw a few bird-a-rangs and a flash pellet.  
Just as expected, Red X countered with his X's and caused the pellet to explode, covering the whole hall in bright, white light.  
"I knew we were both on the same level. I guess we had the same training methods which makes it fun to fight you, kid," Red X said.  
Robin wasted no time and threw a few freezing discs towards the sound of the voice.  
But when the light faded, Red X was gone – and so was Cinderblock.  
Only chunks of ice were poking from the ground.  
Robin quickly turned away and frantically searched the hall. But he couldn't find it.  
The computer chip was missing!  
He felt anger rising inside him.  
How did they lose?  
It was 5 against…2!  
How did they lose?  
His eyes stopped on Beast Boy who smiled sheepishly after removing the x from Raven's mouth quite forcefully.  
"Beast Boy!"  
He turned to his leader in confusion.  
"Why did you let Cinderblock beat you?"  
"Beat me?"  
"You didn't even try to attack him correctly."  
The green boy looked at his leader angrily. "Yes, and I knocked him down twice!"  
"And yet you got almost crushed!" their leader said louder this time.  
"Dude! I'm ok! You didn't even bother with Cinderblock," Beast Boy retorted back.  
"Because Red X is much harder to beat," Robin stated.  
"And you think that you're the only one who can beat him? It's about teamwork, Robin!"  
"There are times where you're on your own."  
"Like with the Brotherhood of Evil?"  
"No, like with Sl-"  
Robin stopped dead.  
He didn't want to mention his name. His name only brought bad memories.  
"I know how to take care of myself," Beast Boy said and turned away.  
They watched as he made his way back to the T-car, disappearing at the end of the hallway.  
"Robin!" It was Raven.  
Their leader had an unreadable expression – just like in her vision.  
"Who was their target?" she asked.  
After some silence, he answered: "I don't know who but what. It was the chip!"  
And that was all they knew. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Tension After the argument back at the company, Beast Boy decided to walk back to the tower to hopefully cool down.  
Why was Robin so angry with him?  
Why did he think it was Beast Boy's fault that they lost the chip?  
He fought just as much as he did and at least he managed to knock his enemy down a few times.  
But apparently it wasn't good enough for Robin.  
He felt angrier by the minute.  
It seemed that it didn't matter that Beast Boy was the reason Robin and pretty much every other titan was unfrozen now after they had been captured by the Brotherhood of Evil and most of the other villains roaming the city.  
What did he have to do to gain his leader's respect?  
The sun was beginning to set, drowning the city in an orange light.  
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a man in a large overcoat and shades turning the corner and pushing a teenager out of his way. The teenager fell onto the street and Beast Boy immediately noticed the blonde hair and blue eyes that widened in fear as a speeding car came towards her.  
"Terra!"  
He quickly morphed into a cheetah, quickly sprinting towards the girl before he morphed back to human form and pushing her off the street.  
The car passed with its horn still blaring.  
"That's gonna leave a mark," he mumbled, rubbing his head that had hit the wall quite forcefully.  
The blonde-haired girl stared wide-eyed at him. "W-what are you doing here?"  
"Teaching you how to cross the street," he smiled. "Are you ok?" he asked concerned.  
The girl closed her eyes.  
"I told you my name wasn't Terra. And I can take care of myself," she said annoyed.  
"Then why didn't you use your powers?" he asked, wondering why she would put herself at risk.  
Her eyes flashed angrily. "I told you I have no powers." The girl moved out from under him and dusted her skirt off.  
"I don't care if you're not Terra or if you…don't have any powers. I'm a titan…and titans help people who need it."  
Her anger vanished. "Then shouldn't you catch the bad guy?"  
She pointed back of her, the man still running with a small purse clutched under his arm.  
Beast Boy scratched the back of his nervously, a blush creeping onto his face before he dashed off after the thief.  
He quickly caught up to the thief in hound form when the man reached a dead end.  
He broke out in laughter seeing a rather short teen, trying to take him down. "Oh, please don't –"  
Beast Boy's anger returned.  
Why does everyone think I'm a kid?  
"Let's see if you still laugh after this," he said and morphed into a rhino.  
The man turned pale at the sight and was slammed forcefully against the brick wall, causing him to pass out upon the impact.  
"I guess I went a little overboard," the green said aloud and retrieved the purse.  
He rushed back to where Terra was but was struck with disappointment when she wasn't there.  
A middle-aged woman went up to him and showered him with compliments. He pushed the purse into her hands and left without another word.  
Back at the tower, the changeling decided to vent his anger that was still in his system out on video games, so he turned on the game station and dropped himself on the large couch.  
He saw from the corner of his eyes his best friend grilling big chunks of steak by the smell of it.  
Beast Boy shivered from the stench of meat. "Hey, Cy, wanna play some video games?" he called to him, hopefully making him stop grilling more of that horrible meat.  
"I don't know, man. We just came back from a battle," Cyborg called back.  
"That was 2 hours ago! Didn't you have enough rest for now?"  
And he thought he was the slow one on the team.  
Cyborg's stare turned serious.  
"Fine! I'll play alone!" Beast Boy shouted tiredly and chose his character. Raven entered the common room with her empty cup that had been filled with green tea.  
"Steak again?" she asked Cyborg.  
"Come on! I know you like meat as much as I do," he said enthusiastically.  
"Totally," Raven muttered in disinterest.  
Her eyes fell on Beast Boy who was frantically smashing the buttons on his controller with concentration on his face.  
"Nice you could make it too," she said sarcastically.  
The mashing of buttons only increased in speed.  
That was strange, especially since Beast Boy was never silent when Raven said something sarcastic to him.  
Her eyes wandered over to the screen. The opponent laid motionless on the screen with the words 'You Won!' flashing across the screen.  
She nudged Cyborg and both saw that the movement of his fingers didn't cease as he angrily pressed against the buttons of his controller.  
"Hey, BB! How about a match?"  
Cyborg's words didn't reach his ears.  
"Beast Boy!" the voice of their leader broke in.  
The movement of his fingers finally ceased.  
"Where were you?"  
"You know I took a walk. It takes a while to reach the tower," he murmured back, not bothering to face Robin.  
"Why didn't you answer your communicator? We had a problem with Plasmus. You could have helped us," their leader said angrily.  
Starfire arrived at the scene.  
Robin saw the shape-shifter pulling his communicator out of his pocket.  
"It's busted. And besides, you beat him, right? I would only be in your way."  
"Listen to yourself!" Robin shouted, making Starfire flinch.  
"YOU listen to yourself!" Beast Boy shouted and threw his controller angrily against the TV. "I don't know what to do to please you! Once you say I'm in your way, and in the next moment you need my help. I told you my communicator was broken. So what do you want from me? Just leave me alone!"  
Robin made no movement as the changeling passed him and slammed the door of his room.  
"Robin, I do not wish to see Beast Boy in such pain. Is it not possible to solve your argument?" Starfire asked.  
"We don't have an argument. He should just take things more seriously."  
Raven came up to him. "Does 'serious' fall under 'obsessive'? Beast Boy knows when to be serious – in his own way. You should learn to accept his shortcomings," she stated with a disapproving look.  
"When will he learn to accept that he has to do something about those?" her leader retorted.  
"Sometimes all you need is just some time."  
Their leader sighed in defeat. "Fine but he should be available when we need him."  
Raven placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Trust me! He will be!"  
Meanwhile, the green teen was sprawled on his bed, still fuming with rage.  
He turned to his side, trying to forget this horrible day for a while but his eyes caught something that only intensified every single detail.  
On his dresser…stood the silver heart-shaped box he made for Terra.  
And every single moment of he had with the blonde girl flashed before his eyes like it was only yesterday they had their date.  
Like it was only yesterday they were sitting on that Ferris wheel, leaning into each other…  
He gripped the bed sheets in anger. Like it was only yesterday she betrayed him – only yesterday she turned to stone – only yesterday she didn't remember anything about him – about being a Teen Titan.  
He couldn't take it anymore, stood up and grabbed the box.  
Raven floated towards the changeling's room.  
Should she tell him about her vision? Should she tell him that he was obsessing over nothing? Or was it something dangerous? Maybe that girl wasn't even Terra.  
She sighed. "Why is it always me comforting him?" she wondered.  
She opened the door and looked in surprise. She was faced with an empty room and an open window.  
"Beast Boy!" she murmured angrily.  
The wind felt cool blowing against his feathers and he thought of taking more night trips like these.  
He had the present tightly in his beak. He decided that if she didn't remember him and didn't want to see him anymore then he would let go of the past. Anything to make her happy.  
He stopped on the bridge and turned back to human form, taking one last look at the present, his reflection staring back at him.  
"Goodbye, Terra!" he murmured to his reflection and pulled back his arm to throw the silver heart into the river below.  
He noticed a shadow spreading on the spot where he was standing.  
But it wasn't his own – something was approaching him.  
He turned to look and saw with shock that a car was flying his way. He turned to a turtle, present clutched in his mouth and the car caused him to fly across the bridge – alive and unharmed.  
He poked his head and legs out of his shell and was surprised at what he saw.  
It was that white creature he saw the other day.  
"Fancy meeting you here," he said smugly after morphing back to human.  
The creature ripped a big piece of concrete off the bridge, turning to concrete as well.  
Beast Boy evaded collision with it by turning into a kangaroo, jumping safely out of the way.  
And suddenly the creature just…turned and ran away.  
"Are you scared of me? A short green teen?" he laughed and suddenly he felt pride well inside of him like a balloon. That thing was scared – the same thing that Robin and the others couldn't beat.  
So if he beat this creature…maybe Robin will respect him in the end.  
With a smirk on his face, Beast Boy chased after the white creature.  
As a fox, he followed the monster until he reached a very familiar terrain.  
He was running through the theme park – the same park where Terra joined Slade.  
He turned to human form, realizing he lost him.  
"Playing hide and seek, huh? You can run but I'll find you sooner or later," he shouted into the night.  
He passed the Ferris wheel, clutching the heart shaped box tighter.  
And suddenly he saw a flash of white entering a door.  
He rushed over to the door and stopped, anger boiling like a volcano beneath him.  
'Funhouse.'  
Was that monster sent by Slade to finish him off?  
Why was Slade even bothering with him?  
Could it be that he was sent here on purpose the day he met Terra after her revival?  
He clenched his teeth in anger at the possibility of Slade trying to drive a wedge between him and Terra.  
He rushed inside and his anger manifested itself in the form of the Beast.  
With a ferocious roar he lunged himself at the white monster, slashing across the metal and ripping his arms out.  
The white monster had nothing to come into contact with now and retreated slowly. But the Beast charged before he could run, slashing over and over at the metal until the monster was left with a gaping hole of disconnected cables. Not satisfied with his work, the Beast took both sides of the monster and with an angered cry, ripped the white creature in half.  
The monster didn't move anymore.  
The Beast retreated and Beast Boy stood in the middle of scraps of metal and buzzing cables, trying to catch his breath.  
He looked at his surrounding, pride once more filling him from head to toe.  
"Wait until Robin hears this," Beast Boy beamed.  
But then he noticed something strange.  
The Slade robot…was gone!  
It should have been here under his feet!  
But it was the white creature instead. A thought crossed his mind: Was he being lured on purpose?  
He laughed at that thought.  
"I should be careful or I'll end up like Robin."  
He was about to turn away when his eyes stopped on something between the two halves of the robot.  
He picked up the small silver object, knowing very well where he saw it before.  
In his gloved hand…was a butterfly hairclip! 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Trust Beast Boy awoke the next day with a happy feeling cursing through him. He jumped off his bed and rushed off to wake the others but was happy to see that all were gathered for breakfast in the common room.  
"Why do we have the bacon again?" Starfire inquired from the robotic teen.  
"Because we didn't have bacon for breakfast this week," he reasoned, causing Raven to facepalm.  
"I'll stick with tea," she stated bluntly.  
"Guys, guys!" Beast Boy called, waving his arms frantically in the air. "You know, last night-"  
"Where were you?"  
He flinched. He hated that question!  
He turned to Raven who had a serious expression, her cup of tea floating next to her. "I was about to tell you until you rudely interrupted me," he said crossing his arm over his chest.  
Raven glanced over at their leader, giving him a meaningful look.  
"We've been…worried about you. That's all," he said reluctantly.  
"Then you're worrying about nothing," Beast Boy smirked, glad that someone came down from his high horse. "Spill it, green beans," Cyborg smiled back.  
"So I was taking a cruise through the city-"  
He stopped.  
And the white creature appeared, luring him to the Funhouse where he previously destroyed a Slade robot, destroyed it by becoming the Beast and found a butterfly hairclip.  
The mere mention of the creature raises questions, not to mention Slade and Terra.  
They would probably never trust him with anything when he lets Terra's name slip one more time. And not to mention how Robin might lock himself up as soon as he hears anything that hints to Slade.  
He realized that they were still staring at him expectantly. "…and I rescued a lady from drowning." "Good job!" came a half-hearted compliment from Robin, followed by other similar murmurs.  
Only Raven hasn't moved from her position.  
"Uh, Raven? I guess your tea is getting cold," Beast Boy said nervously.  
"Oh," was all she said and lifted her cup to her lips.  
He looked at her in confusion wondering if she was feeling alright.  
He grabbed some tofu from the kitchen and walked past the others.  
"Beast Boy?"  
It was Robin.  
The green teen turned to look at his leader, fearing another lecture.  
"Is your communicator functioning?"  
He took said item out and saw with surprise that it turned on at the click of a button.  
"What?" "While you were sleeping, I took it upon myself to fix your communicator. Should run like a baby now," Cyborg smiled at his best friend.  
"Thanks, Cy," the changeling smiled back and rushed out of the common room.  
Robin tuned his gaze to Raven and received a nod of approval.  
Beast Boy eagerly made his way through the City until he finally reached his destination.  
Murakami High school.  
He noticed a lot of students on the yard but unfortunately he couldn't find anyone who looked remotely like Terra.  
So he reluctantly entered the yard, his eyes trying to study the faces as best as he could. But when that didn't help, he decided to go inside the building.  
The hallways were almost empty, except for a few groups of couples and cliques.  
But none of them looked like Terra.  
Could it be that she was sick?  
He sighed at that thought.  
Suddenly he noticed movement from behind him.  
A door stood slightly ajar, making little squeaking sounds.  
He opened the door more and stepped inside. The room was brightly lit with its big windows and bags were placed next to the small tables. Chairs stood skewed by the tables, indicating that the students were in a real hurry to get to break.  
He almost chuckled while studying the bags and tables.  
But one table stood empty.  
He went closer to it and noticed a lot of scratches on the edges and some writings on the upper part.  
But none of them could indicate that this was Terra's table yet nothing could indicate that it wasn't hers either. After all she seemed to be absent.  
Suddenly he heard shuffling – shuffling of fabric to be exact.  
He was glad he had sensitive ears.  
Beast Boy made his way towards the teacher's desk, the sound stopping abruptly.  
"Hey, what are you doing here?"  
He stopped right in front of the teacher's desk and noticed that Terra's friends were standing by the doorway.  
Both girls had unfriendly expressions on their faces.  
"I, uh, was just here to see Terra."  
"She told you she doesn't want to see you!" the girls said, while looming dangerously over Beast Boy.  
"I-I know and I just wanted to give her this," he said and pulled out the heart-shaped box.  
They looked at the gift skeptically. "Why should we give her something like this?"  
"Because I have decided to let her go. Just give her this and you will never see me here again," he said, glancing back at the desk.  
The girls' expression turned to surprise.  
"We don't know if she likes this." one of them said, taking it in her hand and giving her friend an unsure look.  
"Just give it to her. She can do whatever she likes with it. Just don't open it! I want her to open it," Beast Boy said with a sad smile.  
After a short silence, the girls nodded. "Ok. And you won't come here ever again?"  
The changeling turned to the girls. "Never!"  
"We'll give it to her tomorrow and we won't look inside."  
He smiled at them. "Thanks!"  
They watched as he dashed past them and disappeared at the end of the hallway.  
"What do you think is it?" one of them asked the other and moved towards the lid.  
"Don't open it!" a voice shouted, making the girls jump.  
Terra moved out from under the teacher's desk and took the box from their hands.  
She carefully opened the lid and gasped when she saw what was inside.  
Inside the box was…a silver butterfly hairclip!  
She picked it up and studied it.  
A strange warmth made its way to her face.  
It was her most treasured memory and somehow he managed to give it to her.  
The warmth gradually left her, almost causing her to shiver.  
That hairclip brought also dread with itself.  
Images of a masked man made their way into her brain – images of a destroyed city.  
And images of Beast Boy, a pillar hovering above him.  
But his voice broke through the images.  
"YOU decided to become a titan!"  
She clutched the hairclip.  
"YOU decided to betray us and join Slade!"  
She closed her eyes, his voice becoming louder with each sentence.  
"Slade's not controlling you! YOU are!"  
Her eyes opened.  
"There's always a choice, Terra!"  
He lips turned to a smile against her will.  
Her friends looked at her worriedly.  
The blonde-haired girl closed the box.  
The hairclip was fastened inside her hair but her smile wasn't there.  
"Is he…really your boyfriend?"  
The girl shook her head. "No! I don't remember anything he's talking about."  
When Beast Boy arrived back at the tower, he was surprised when he saw that none of his teammates were there.  
"Guys? Are you still angry at me?" he asked.  
No answer.  
A big smile spread across his face, realizing that he had the whole tower to himself.  
"Time to party!" he cheered and dashed to the common room, propping himself on the sofa and taking his tofu out from this morning and chewed hungrily on them while setting up the Gamestation. He took the controller in his hand when suddenly his communicator beeped.  
He took it out of his pocket and activated it.  
"Beast Boy!" the titan leader called, from what seemed to be a fight since the picture kept moving.  
"Beast Boy, here!"  
"It's the HIVE! Come to the TV Station!" Robin shouted into the communicator before the screen went black.  
"Aww man, just when I wanted to play some games," the green teen whined but nonetheless rushed to his friends.  
"Good to know that I can trust you," Robin murmured, putting back the communicator back at the TV tower. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The girl called Terra After they had successfully beaten the HIVE students, Robin decided they all should have a well-deserved reward which was why they were having lunch at their usual Pizza place the next day.  
Starfire was putting quite a lot of mustard on her slice while Beast Boy reluctantly removed the pepperoni pieces that Cyborg had somehow managed to add to his pizza.  
"You know I only eat vegetarian!"  
"I thought some change would be good for you," the half-robot joked, making the shape-shifter stare at him in anger.  
"Would you like some of the yellow delicacy, Beast Boy?" Starfire asked with big green eyes, holding her dripping mustard out for him.  
He shrank back in his chair. "Star, I, uh, rather not," he murmured.  
"It is quite delicious, is it not?"  
Starfire turned to stare at her friends, receiving fake and nervous smiles and nods. "Would you like some?" she asked the others but received frantic waves of their hand in return. "More for me then," she said cheerfully and the others stared in utter shock when she emptied the bottle onto her pizza.  
After Starfire finished her last slice, they went back to the tower, the others having lost their appetite because of Starfire's love for mustard.  
But they were more than happy to fill their stomachs with other things than pizza and mustard. After everyone was stuffed, Cyborg, who used to be an athlete, suggested a game of volleyball on the roof of Titans Tower. Starfire was the first to agree, saying that the amount of mustard she consumed had given her 'the burst of the energy'.  
Beast Boy also agreed, saying that he hasn't been flexing his muscles in his hands enough after being deprived of getting his hands on his controller of the Gamestation.  
3 faces turned expectantly to Robin, who relented by saying 'that maybe this might also act as training'.  
The only one who remained silent was Raven.  
"Please participate in the game of volleyball. I'm sure you will get quite the enjoyment out of it," Starfire beamed, floating close to her face.  
Raven stepped back at the display of happiness. "I do not feel like playing right now."  
"Come on, Rae! Even you should exercise. We don't want you to lag behind us when we battle some petty HIVE students."  
She turned to the half-robot. "I'm a half-demon. I don't lag behind, Cyborg."  
Beast Boy nudged the large teen. "I bet she wants to read some of her boring books…because she is scared she'll lose against us – no wait - me."  
Raven's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.  
"I bet she's scared to touch the floor because she doesn't know she can stand since she's floating all the time."  
Raven's eyes wandered to the floor – yes, she was floating. She dropped to the floor but Beast Boy didn't stop his teasing.  
"I wonder if she even knows how to play the game. I mean even Starfire who's an alien, knows how to play volleyball," he smirked.  
Raven walked over to the short teen, giving him a dangerous glare. A volleyball covered in dark energy floated between them. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she said dangerously before shoving the ball into Beast Boy's hands.  
And in a few minutes they were on the roof, initiating the game with Starfire giving the first serve. The ball sailed over the net towards Cyborg but he caught it mid-flight and sent it straight for Robin.  
He skidded backwards and leaped, just managing to hit it weakly with his right hand. The ball was dropping right before passing the net. Luckily, Raven caught up to the ball and with a forceful hit, sent the ball plummeting down towards Beast Boy.  
"Let's see if you can catch this!"  
He morphed into a mouse, scurrying back before he turned to a German Sheppard, leaping high in the air and hitting the ball with his elephant trunk.  
Starfire floated towards the ball and hit it with her strength but Cyborg was able to calculate the direction it was headed and intercepted.  
"That's cheating!" Robin shouted and leaped in the air to grab the ball but the ball just stopped in front of him, covered in black energy.  
Raven floated up next to the ball and with the wave of her hand, propelled it towards Beast Boy. And before Robin could shout another protest, the game was transformed into a battlefield.  
"I should have just stuck with training," he muttered under his breath.  
The sun was setting, indicating another day coming to a close.  
"Come on! Let's get some cotton candy!" "I really can't after that rollercoaster ride," a blonde-haired girl said, still trying not to stagger.  
"Don't tell me that little swing made you dizzy?" her friend asked surprised.  
"No, I'm just not in the mood for sweets right now," the girl laughed.  
"Suits you. We'll just get us some and be right back. Don't go anywhere without us, okay?" her 2 friends called while running towards the cotton candy stand.  
It was good to come to the Theme Park. Somehow her brain couldn't take another test. Finally her exams were over!  
She smiled to herself, and looked around to see what ride she should use next.  
And amidst the crowd of people and laughter of children, something came into her view.  
She went over to the entrance.  
'Funhouse.'  
A mixture of nostalgia and regret made its way to her heart.  
Suddenly she wished she could go back in time just to decline Slade's offer to be his apprentice.  
But she knew that time only moved forward.  
Yet, she wanted to bask in nostalgia once more – only for tonight.  
She entered the door and with slow steps walked through the long hallway that was aligned with mirrors, altering her appearance endlessly.  
She glanced at her reflections as they moved in and out of mirrors with her movement.  
Terra moved into a mirror and Terra moved out of another.  
Terra, Terra, Terra.  
The blonde girl looked to her right.  
Still Terra.  
Terra, Terra, Slade.  
She stopped dead and took a step back and faced the mirror she just passed.  
An orange and black mask faced her and she screamed.  
Her fist instinctively shot out at the mirror, cracking it.  
She stared.  
Terra.  
"I-I'm cracking up. Maybe coming here was a bad idea."  
Her voice echoed in the narrow hallway, the sound of a ghost.  
"Hello, Terra."  
She froze when she heard the icy voice behind her, the words lingering inside her ear.  
Terra punched the mirror behind her with a cry of terror.  
And beneath the cracks she saw herself – Terra.  
Terra in shiny metal armor, an S emblem poking out of the center of her chest – Slade's apprentice.  
"N-No! That's not me!" she stammered and turned away.  
She was faced with herself in the other cracked mirror – a yellow T printed on black fabric.  
Terra – a Teen Titan.  
She stepped away from her reflections and they mirrored her fearful expression.  
"No! That's not me! I don't remember anything!" she screamed and ran down the hallway, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to spill.  
The streets were void of cars and the white and blue car sped up. Hearing that something was up at the power plant, Robin immediately guessed it had something to do with Overload.  
And while they turned a corner, Raven took sight of someone turning the corner.  
She wore a white shirt and a blue skirt and her hands were covering her face. But the thing that caught Raven's attention…was the girl's blonde hair.  
She faded in the rearview mirror of the T-Car.  
Raven bit her lip. Was it just a dream? Or a vision?  
The grey sky flashed white for a moment before raindrops fell from the clouds.  
It was indeed Overload that was sapping the electricity of Jump City.  
Sparks flew from the generators before one building after another lost their light until the whole city was left in darkness.  
Beast Boy was the first to charge, turning into a rhino and run right at him.  
Overload tricked him though, by stepping to the side, causing the rhino to ram full-force into one of the generators.  
Beast Boy morphed back after coming into contact with rather high voltages of electricity. Raven saved him from further damage by lifting the generator and tossing it aside. Cyborg decided to use his Sonic Canon against it but stared in shock as the beam was absorbed by him.  
"Titans, try to use something that is effective against electricity," Robin shouted to his team.  
"Like water?" Raven asked.  
"Where do we get water from, except from the sky?" Beast Boy asked, having recovered from the shock.  
Robin smiled at them and pulled out some freezing discs.  
"Way to go, Rob," Cyborg shouted.  
"Starfire, get me close to Overload," their leader shouted and Starfire lifted him into the air. "When I tell you to, you fire your lasers at my discs and stop only when I tell you to," he said as they floated directly over Overload.  
Robin threw the discs, as Overload reached for another reactor. "Now!"  
Starfire immediately fired green lasers from her eyes, causing the discs to explode in the air.  
"Keep going!" Robin instructed her, as the smoke of the explosion began to thin out.  
Suddenly his communicator began beeping and he saw that something came up at Wayne Enterprises.  
And his face hardened in a grim expression.  
Red X.  
Water started spraying over Overload and he retreated with a few steps under the shower. "Starfire, lower me!"  
She complied when, to her shock she saw that Overload had recovered from the attack and was approaching them once more.  
Robin pulled out more discs.  
"Titans!"  
They turned to face their leader. And each of them received a disc thrown into their hands.  
"Robin, where are you going?" Raven asked.  
"I just want to check something out," he replied and turned to leave.  
Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder. "Robin?"  
He turned around with a smile. "I'll be alright, Star." "Beast Boy, let's go!"  
The green titan looked confused at first but after receiving no other instructions, he smiled brightly and passed his disc to Cyborg. "Are you going to be alright?" their leader asked one last time.  
Raven turned to him. "It's just Overload. We'll be fine."  
With that said, Robin and Beast Boy made their way to Wayne Enterprises. "Who do you think it is?" Beast Boy asked, when they arrived at the entrance.  
"I hope I can get back at Red X," he said competitively. "Robin," the green teen asked carefully. "You trust me with Red X?"  
"No, Beast Boy. I trust teamwork."  
The changeling broke out in a huge grin. "Dude, I'm glad you said that."  
The company was strangely unguarded.  
Where were the guards?  
Robin and Beast Boy went inside and immediately were faced with a sight of destruction. Windows were shattered, pillars were damaged, tables and chairs lying in splinters and glass shards under their feet. Doors were ripped off their hinges.  
They went past the narrow hallway until they came across another hall. A similar sight displayed here as well, shattered and broken glass containers covering the entire hall. All except one.  
They went over to the empty but undamaged glass container.  
"I guess Red X wouldn't make such a mess for something that was in this little glass box," Beast Boy said.  
"But what was inside?" Robin wondered aloud.  
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake, each passing moment more violently.  
"Earthquake?" the changeling cried before he morphed into a hummingbird.  
"Beast Boy, watch out!" the leader shouted and the hummingbird noticed the ceiling falling on him just in time to fly out of danger zone. Rubble and concrete separated the two titans.  
The ground shook once more, causing large cracks to appear on the walls.  
"Dude!" His voice was filled with fear.  
"Beast Boy, get out! The pillars won't hold much longer," Robin shouted from the other side of the concrete pile.  
"What about you?"  
"Just get out! I'll be fine!" Robin screamed over the rumble of the vibration.  
Beast Boy transformed into a hawk, trying to dodge falling pieces of rock.  
Robin frantically searched for a way out while cracks began to appear beneath his feet.  
His eyes rested on a rather large hole in the wall on the other side of the hall. He rushed over to the damaged section of the hall and pulled out his grappling hook.  
Meanwhile Beast Boy neared the entrance when he saw the pillars breaking a little, lowering the ceiling on him slightly.  
Like the whole building was being crushed.  
He flew closer to the ground, the ceiling lowering itself further. Beast Boy flapped his wings more frantically; panic slowly taking the better of him.  
Dust swirled up once more and with another few flaps, he managed to get through the rather small entrance.  
Robin aimed his grappling hook at the water tank opposite of him when suddenly he stopped dead.  
The grappling hook fell from his hand. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Trouble Beast Boy watched horrified as the building gave in some more until it collapsed on itself, kicking up dust and rubble.  
"Robin!" he shouted, hoping to hear from his leader.  
He flew around the building but Robin was gone.  
Didn't he make it?  
"Robin!" the changeling screamed, fearing the worst.  
But only the wind replied to him.  
Beast Boy wouldn't give up without a fight. He had to find the titan leader!  
He knelt onto the ground and began heaving chunks of rock and concrete, tossing them aside with the hope that his leader might be still under the collapsed building.  
He shifted to gorilla form, taking the bigger and heavier pieces now. But the more rubble he tossed aside, the more panic-stricken he felt.  
Why couldn't he find him?  
The beeping of his communicator broke through his thoughts.  
Cyborg was on the other line. "We're done with Overload. How are things with you guys?"  
"Guys?"  
After the others arrived, Raven managed to lift what was left of the building but except for Robin's broken communicator, there was nothing else to find.  
Beast Boy told Raven what happened but since he was following orders, he didn't know what happened to their leader.  
His hands turned to fists. "I…shouldn't have listened to Robin. I should have stayed and…forced my way through that wall."  
Suddenly a slap made its way across his face. "Do you really think Robin would want you to be reckless? And he didn't know it would come to this. He's not our leader for nothing, Beast Boy. All we can do now to help him is to look for him," Raven said and they decided to split up and search.  
Cyborg took the T-Car, while Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy looked from the sky.  
After one hour they came up fruitless. Starfire and Beast Boy hung their head in sadness. "I guess it's time to go home. We'll continue tomorrow," Raven said and reluctantly the rest agreed.  
All of them went to their rooms and tried to get some sleep, knowing that they couldn't do anything for their leader right now. Raven floated into her room and placed herself onto her bed and closed her eyes.  
But she couldn't rest. How could Robin disappear all of a sudden especially since Beast Boy was with him? Something seemed not right…and somehow the changeling has been acting strange for the past few days. It was as if he knew something but wasn't telling them.  
She crossed her legs and tried to force the confusing thoughts out of her mind.  
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she chanted, floating off the ground.  
Suddenly she heard the door of her room open. Heavy footsteps approached her.  
"What is it, Cyborg?" she asked without opening her eyes.  
"Rae? I have to tell you something. When you lifted the remains of the building, I took my time to make a quick scan of it," the large teen said nervously.  
"And?"  
"I couldn't detect any type of other material or explosive, chemicals…nothing."  
"So you mean except for the materials already part of the building…there was no other substance beneath the rubble?"  
The robotic teen nodded grimly. "That means that most of the other villains couldn't have done this – except Cinderblock."  
But there was another person that didn't use explosives, chemicals, or magic – and Raven felt apprehensive.  
"Cyborg?" she murmured, making the teen turn at her in confusion.  
Meanwhile Starfire was floating through the hallway, unable to get sleep.  
She reached Beast Boy's room and stopped. She heard a lot of murmurs but couldn't make out the words.  
She knocked lightly on his door.  
No answer.  
She knocked harder. "Beast Boy?"  
Suddenly she heard something slamming against the wall.  
Starfire opened the door and floated inside. His room was dark but she managed to see Beast Boy sitting on his bed, his fist pressed against the wall.  
"Beast Boy, what has happened to you? Is there something worrying you?" she asked concerned, floating closer to his bed.  
His angry expression softened slightly. "Don't tell me you don't know?"  
"Is it about…Robin?" she asked, her eyes cast downwards.  
"No, it's because I've let him down again. It's because I don't know why I couldn't pretend I didn't hear him when he told me to run."  
"But I'm sure he would want you to run so you would be safe," she said, a small smile gracing her lips.  
"So Raven can tell us not to look for him? So we just sit here and…wait for him to show up?" his voice rose slightly.  
"But didn't we look for him already? Perhaps it's best if we look for him tomorrow, as Raven said," she suggested.  
Beast Boy jumped from his bed, startling Starfire. "Do you really think that skimming through the city for an hour is called 'searching'?"  
A short silence.  
"What do you think we should do then?"  
His angry scowl finally tuned to a smile. He opened the window, a cool breeze entering the room. "Just be sure that nobody finds out," he said in a low voice.  
Starfire smiled before her eyes glowed determinedly. Beast Boy and Starfire made their way out into the night, Beast Boy gliding through the air while Starfire floated.  
"Where should we start looking?" the alien asked, when the green hawk turned to the left. She followed behind until they reached the harbor. "Are you sure Robin is here?" she asked uncertainly, seeing no movement among the lined up ships and boats.  
"No," came the reply.  
"Right." After their search at the harbor turned out useless, they decided to split up.  
"You take east and I take west. When you're done, call me," Beast Boy said to Starfire who had a disappointed look on her face.  
"And when…we don't find him?"  
He laughed and patted her on her shoulder, standing on his toes to reach her. "Then you'll take south and I take north. Simple, right?"  
Starfire giggled slightly, seeing him standing on his toes. "You are right! Thank you!"  
"No problem, Star," he smiled back before he turned away.  
Starfire floated eastwards when suddenly she saw an explosion from her right. Reaching safe ground, she noticed Professor Chang running out of the flaming building.  
She blocked his pathway, making him stumble backwards.  
"What have you been doing this time, Professor Chang?" she asked while her hand glowed a dangerous green.  
"I-it wasn't me! It was-"  
Another explosion rocked the laboratory. Starfire ignored the villain in front of her and went up to the roof of the burning building.  
There was movement behind her and she turned around to see something exploding close to her, sending her into the air.  
But Starfire recovered quickly and flew back down to the roof and stared into the smoke.  
And in front of her stood Red X.  
"You!"  
"Hello, cutie," he replied.  
"What did you do with Robin?" she asked angrily, making the thief look at her in confusion.  
"The kid? I haven't done anything to him."  
"You lie," Starfire said angrily and charged at him.  
He jumped out of the way, throwing a few red x's at her which she destroyed with her starbolts.  
"Tell me where he is," Starfire shouted.  
"He was with you, wasn't he?" Starfire felt sadness spreading through her. Yes, just some hours ago he was.  
"Look, I haven't done anything to him."  
"Then why is he not here?" the alien cried angrily.  
"What do you mean?"  
"He was fighting at the Wayne company. He was fighting you…and now he is lost."  
"That broken building?"  
"So it was you!" Starfire shot out lasers at the thief who jumped to avoid them and threw another x that covered her eyes.  
She frantically tried to pull that x off but it seemed glued to her skin.  
"I just passed it. It wasn't me! But to think that he lost? That's…rather disappointing…for a certain someone," he murmured, making Starfire even sadder.  
Robin was not a disappointment! He was their leader – strong, skilled, and brave.  
The glow from her hands disappeared.  
So where was he now?  
"Well, I guess I gotta go," the thief said and the red-head heard fading footsteps.  
And suddenly she heard a load slam from the same direction before something approached her.  
"Did you have date with the Professor? Sorry, if I ruined your moment."  
Starfire smiled at hearing that high, but familiar voice.  
Hands pulled her up to her feet before she heard footsteps once more.  
"I was just leaving," Red X said and threw a few x's at Beast Boy who had charged at him from the sky. The flying dinosaur evaded the first two but failed to evade the last letter, covering him in a sticky substance and forcing him to revert back to human.  
"I will help you!" Starfire shouted and dashed past the green teen, aiming a punch at the thief.  
He merely jumped back and threw a red x at her as well that expanded in air.  
The x came at her with such a force that Starfire was thrown against Beast Boy from the impact. The ends of the x met, tying the two titans, when Beast Boy realized that they were still flying…over the roof.  
"I can't morph. Star, float or something," Beast Boy shouted as they were propelled over the roof.  
"I…cannot," she replied with grief.  
They were falling downwards and both screamed, realizing that neither can do anything.  
Suddenly they landed on something hard, knocking the air out of both of them.  
After managing to sit up, Beast Boy realized that he was sitting on a rather large rock that brought them slowly towards the ground.  
He looked around to see who had saved them from broken ribs…and possibly death.  
His eyes opened wide.  
In the sky, he saw a girl floating on a piece of rock just big enough for her to stand on.  
She smiled down at Beast Boy while moving farther and farther away, a butterfly hairclip glinting in her blonde hair.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Traitor After Starfire and Beast Boy arrived at the tower, still tied together, a very angry Raven greeted them. "Where have you been?" she asked while her eyes were boring into Starfire and primarily Beast Boy's, knowing that he must have convinced her to do something so immature. "Trying to find our leader while you decided to wait for him to come back."  
Raven managed to get the giant letter off of the two titans. "You did something that could endanger the whole team. And we were not just waiting."  
"Endanger our team? We were trying to bring it back together!"  
"Whoever captured Robin, obviously knew that you were separated from him. It could be that that person tries to get us one by one if his target wasn't just Robin. So the worst thing you could do was to split," Raven stated after she removed the x from Starfire's eyes.  
"So you think staying together but doing nothing is a better solution?" Beast Boy said angrily.  
"We weren't doing nothing, BB," Cyborg stated.  
"Did you possibly find Robin?" Starfire asked hopefully.  
"No, but we limited the number of villains who could have kidnapped him," Raven continued. "And that's supposed to help us?" Beast Boy asked, turning away from Raven.  
"There were no foreign substances that weren't already part of the building at the company."  
"What do you mean, Raven?" Starfire asked.  
"I mean that no magic, explosives and things that weren't rock or metal were used to bring the building down on itself," she stated and watched Beast Boy's face.  
"And how is that supposed to help us find the kidnapper?" the short teen asked.  
"The only ones that fight with rock or metal are Cinderblock…and Terra!"  
She noticed movement in the changeling's eyes. "No! Terra…doesn't exist! That girl…I saw wasn't Terra!"  
"What? But didn't you say you saw her? And you went after her for 2 days," Raven stated calmly. "I went after the wrong girl," he murmured.  
"So only Cinderblock is the one that could have done it?" Starfire asked.  
"It seems so," Cyborg said and reluctantly they all went to their rooms to sleep. But not before Beast Boy received a towel thrown against his face.  
Raven lingered behind still trying to figure things out.  
Why would Cinderblock kidnap Robin and what did he do with the computer chip he stole? Images of her vision appeared before her eyes. No, she had to make sure! She had to make sure that girl wasn't behind their leader's disappearance. And the best way to find out was to give that girl a visit.  
Sunlight filtered through the window of the Titan Tower the next morning. Cyborg looked at his watch implanted in his robotic arm.  
7:45 am.  
Yes, he had a bad night. "Maybe I should workout while I'm at it," he mumbled, still feeling a bit sleepy.  
He got up and made his way to the training room but stopped when passing Raven's room.  
He couldn't resist the urge to see if she had a good night's rest at least and knocked on the door.  
No answer.  
"Rae? Are you awake?" he said in a low voice but after hearing no reply, decided that she deserved some rest and continued his stroll.  
The groups of students slowly filed into the building known as 'Murakami High School'. Some were short, others were tall, some were black-haired while others were brunettes.  
And then a girl came into focus – she was walking along the fence of the school yard and was just entering the yard.  
It was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.  
Raven moved out from under the shadow of the tree across the street and hurried up to the girl.  
"Terra!" Raven called and the girl stopped. How should she ask her?  
"You remember, don't you?" The girl turned around and Raven was silent, taking her appearance in. Whoever she was, she did look like the ex-titan.  
The girl spoke. "My name is not Terra. I'm sorry but you got the wrong girl."  
"Then how come you know Beast Boy so well?"  
"I didn't know him. He just kept coming here to look for a Terra and I told him that it wasn't me. At least he doesn't come here anymore." That sentence caught Raven by surprise. "Why?"  
"He realized that I wasn't the girl he was looking for," she said and turned to leave.  
A hand stopped her. "Why were you crying?" Raven asked, hoping to know where she went yesterday. The girl was silent for a moment, her blue eyes looking at the other girl in confusion. "Why were you watching?"  
"I just passed by."  
"I…was just sad."  
The bell rang, interrupting their conversation.  
"If you have no more questions, I'd like to get to class," the girl said and hurriedly left for the entrance.  
But the passive girl wasn't satisfied with that answer. Her hand was covered in black energy and an empty soda can lifted from a trashcan nearby.  
With a swing of her hand, the soda can flew straight towards the girl.  
Unfortunately 2 boys moved into the pathway of the flying can and Raven let the can drop.  
The girl seemed not to know them at all and seemed to be perfectly normal. Yet, something about this girl seemed…odd.  
Raven arrived to the smell of bacon and something that she can't make out.  
"Raven, would you like some of my Tamaranean dish," Starfire asked as soon as Raven set foot into the common room.  
Raven stared at the bubbling, grey stew in the pot and almost shivered. "I'm…not hungry."  
She looked over to her friends and saw that they all only poked their food with their forks.  
Even Starfire barely touched her…dish. It hurt to see the team falling apart, making the Goth remember her fight with her father, Trigon. It was Robin who gave her hope to fight against her father.  
And now it was her turn to give hope.  
"Eat up. You'll need the energy," she said, trying to sound confident.  
"What is the matter?" Starfire asked, fearing a natural disaster.  
"Nothing. We'll just look for our leader."  
The smiles on their faces sent a cozy warmth through her body but made sure not to show it.  
Meanwhile Robin had regained consciousness. His head hurt and his arms felt heavy. With shock, he realized he couldn't move them. They were somehow tied behind his back.  
He opened his eyes…but it was still dark.  
"What…happened?" he mumbled and remembered that he was trying to escape Wayne Enterprises when something hit him hard.  
Robin lifted himself with difficulty and managed to get into a sitting position.  
Who was responsible for the destruction at Wayne Enterprises? Cinderblock?  
The HIVE?  
Or possibly the Brotherhood of Evil?  
The leader flinched under the pain of his throbbing head.  
He had to get out first and with some difficulty managed to stand up. Slowly walking forward, he came to a stop, realizing that he reached a wall.  
Good.  
He walked along the wall, sticking close to it, his metal boots echoing through the room.  
He stopped – his arm brushed against a door handle. His face fell in disappointment when the door made no movement as he somehow managed to push the handle down.  
He faced the spot where his arm just brushed and took a step back. With a cry, he slammed his foot against the door, causing it to give a clanking sound.  
This was bad.  
It was a heavy metal door.  
After 3 hours, the 4 titans regrouped, exhausted after managing to search 1/3 of Jump City for their missing leader.  
"I'm beat," Beast Boy moaned, dropping onto the hard concrete floor.  
They were standing on the sidewalk, deciding what area to search next.  
"Maybe it's ok if we take a short break," the cloaked girl suggested and everyone agreed.  
Suddenly their communicators began beeping at the same time, indicating a crime.  
Beast Boy broke out into more groans.  
"You can rest later," his best friend said and they rushed to the T-Car.  
"Wait up!"  
They found themselves in front of Professor Chang's laboratory.  
"I hope it's not Red X again. I have seen enough of him," Beast Boy said.  
"I agree. I do not wish to hear more of his sweet nothingness," Starfire added, receiving confused looks from the rest of them.  
They entered the building, and the damages of last night were still visible. Windows were broken, large parts of the walls were charred black and many of the machinery of the lab were destroyed in the fire.  
As they examined their surrounding, Raven noticed movement behind her.  
"Stop!" she called and faced the sound of the movement.  
Her hands glowed with black magic and the others assumed similar fighting stances.  
The movement stopped but the figure was hidden in shadow.  
"Show yourself!" Raven demanded, ready to hurl anything that was close to her as soon as the figure made the slightest attempt to attack or flee.  
The figure stepped forward, the shadow finally leaving him.  
Raven's eyes opened in utter shock and all of them lost their previous stances, only managing to stare at the figure.  
Was her vision becoming reality?  
In front of the 4 titans in an orange and black suit…stood their team leader – Robin!  



	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Titan "Robin? Where have you been?" Starfire called and floated up to him but was stopped half-way by Raven.  
"Don't get close to him! We don't know if he's working for Slade," she said and her hands glowed black once again.  
"Couldn't Slade at least come up with something original? We've already seen Robin in that outfit," Beast Boy complained, making Cyborg snap his fingers.  
"Maybe he's being forced to work for him, Raven."  
"I doubt that he would use the same method twice," Raven stated, when Robin suddenly moved towards them.  
Beast Boy turned to a bull, Cyborg activated his cannon and Starfire's hands glowed green in the darkness.  
"Slade. It…was Slade," he mumbled and his steps turned to staggering and Starfire caught him before he fell.  
"What is it you speak of?" she asked confused.  
"Bombs…here," he rasped before his eyes closed.  
"Bombs?" the changeling cried and immediately all reached for the exit before an explosion threw them through the door.  
They landed hard onto the ground but nothing seemed to be broken.  
"Dude, that was a close call!" Beast Boy shouted, still surprised they made it out alive.  
"Too close for my taste," Cyborg commented after managing to get onto his feet.  
But why did Slade plant bombs in an already burned lab?  
After the titans arrived at the tower, they left Robin in his room to rest, having sustained not too alarming wounds.  
The others left for their rooms as well, trying to regain what energy they had lost tonight.  
It was noon when the last titan finally woke up – surprisingly Robin.  
He flinched under the harsh sunlight and stood up, feeling refreshed.  
He went to change when he realized that he had slept…in an outfit that Slade made for him.  
Robin frowned and wasted no time in removing the clothing and went to the evidence room and placed it in a display case, deciding he would run tests on it later on.  
The other titans beamed with joy at seeing their leader awake and apparently well – Raven, more or less so.  
"Robin, are you feeling well?" Starfire asked concerned and stopped eating her fried eggs immediately.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," their leader replied with a smile before he sat down next to her.  
A short silence hung in the air as the 5 titans resumed with their breakfast.  
"What…happened? We looked everywhere for you," Raven said.  
She saw his expression harden in silent anger. "I was kidnapped…by Slade. He locked me up somewhere but I didn't know where I was. I just remember a steel door…and that I was fighting…him, I guess. And when I somehow reached the lab…I found a thermal blaster and cut myself loose and opened my blindfold. That's when I saw the timer of the bomb. And then you arrived."  
Robin continued eating his slice of bacon as if nothing has happened.  
"What happened to the thermal blaster?"  
"I left it on the ground when you came."  
"You saw him?" Raven asked seriously.  
"I was blindfolded, Raven."  
"Did you hear him?"  
"Only his breathing."  
"Then maybe you thought it was him when it really could have been someone else," she said, letting her fork with the egg fly into her mouth.  
Robin stared at her. "Then how did you think I got that suit on me? It was obviously Slade!"  
"I'm not sure about the suit…but maybe someone might have put you under a spell or-"  
"You don't believe me? What if it was?"  
"Slade is a cunning person and you know that, right? So why did he plant bombs in a lab that has been destroyed only a night before? It doesn't make sense," Raven concluded.  
"Sometimes, things don't make sense, Raven."  
"That doesn't mean you should obsess over them," Raven said, her voice slightly louder than before.  
"I'm not obsessing! I'm cautious so that something like this won't happen again," raising his voice as well.  
"Please, friends, don't argue over these insignificant things," Starfire pleaded.  
"Slade is not insignificant, Starfire!" he growled.  
With his display of violence, Raven stood up and silently left, leaving the leader to cool off.  
"Don't be so harsh, Rob," Cyborg said to him, not wanting to see Starfire worried.  
"Yeah, dude. We're only trying to help," Beast Boy added before shoving tofu into his mouth. "If you're really trying to help then you would make sure that the incident at the company doesn't repeat itself," Robin murmured, but of course, Beast Boy heard that comment.  
"Is it just me or was he really talking to me?" he asked, a frown on his features. "You're the only one who was with me."  
Beast Boy stood up and let his anger out on the still sitting teen. "What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me that you getting hit over the head was my fault?"  
"No, I'm trying to tell you that you acting on your own without telling your teammates first, will get us in trouble."  
"Oh, like I did with the Brotherhood of Evil?"  
"No, like you did on the night of Terra's betrayal."  
And suddenly, the changeling had sent his fist into the face of the masked boy. "How dare you, Robin? I never thought you would still think of Terra that way," Beast Boy shouted angrily.  
"Wasn't she the reason we got separated at Wayne Enterprises?"  
"Raven was right! You are obsessing," he murmured and stomped past him.  
"I can understand how you feel, Robin but I think you're taking things too seriously," Cyborg said, trying to calm his friend.  
"Slade is no joke. And neither is Terra," Robin murmured and went out of the common room.  
Cyborg and Starfire exchanged nervous glances.  
Raven floated through the hallways, having a sudden need for tea after her quarrel with their rather stubborn leader. And suddenly he heard sounds from Beast Boy's room that made her almost giggle.  
"Azarath, Metrion…Zinthos." She floated up to the door, wondering what the energetic teen was up to.  
"Azarath – man, this is harder than I thought."  
Raven opened the door and she saw Beast Boy sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, trying hard to copy her meditation method.  
"It doesn't work that way," she said unemotionally, making him jump from his skin before a blush crept onto his face.  
"W-what are you doing here, Rae?"  
"Teaching you how to relax," she replied and sat down next to him, having forgotten her tea already.  
"You have to empty your mind. And the words you chant must mean something to you until they manifest themselves in your mind," Raven explained.  
Thoughts of the blonde-haired girl appeared before the changeling and he closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't cry in front of the emotionless half-demon.  
"Raven?" Beast Boy murmured, making the girl attentive. "While Terra was with us…did you ever feel a bond with her?"  
She was surprised by that question. "Why are you asking?"  
"Because…I think I understand that lack of control you have over your powers. Like something just…explodes inside of you and you try to take all that was thrown around in the explosion and put it back in…wherever that is," Beast Boy chuckled the last part before he looked at Raven expectantly.  
Raven suppressed a smile. "Yes, Beast Boy. Once I had."  
He grinned at her widely. "I guess I got the hang of this meditation stuff. Thanks, Rae."  
She watched as he exited the room with a lighter air around him.  
Beast Boy smiled to himself. The only thing he had to do now was to convince his leader that Terra wasn't a traitor.  
Robin's room stood empty so he went to the training room but that room was empty as well.  
There was one more room to look for – the evidence room.  
He stood in front of said room for a few minutes, deciding what to say. What did he have to say?  
The events of yesterday night appeared before him – Terra smiling down on him, having just saved him from his possible death. Simple – he would tell him that Terra was a Titan.  
Even if she denied this now.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Shock Beast Boy knocked on the door of the evidence room but silence answered him instead.  
"Robin? Can we talk?" the changeling asked meekly.  
Still no answer.  
"I guess I'll have to let myself in then," he said and moved to open the door.  
Suddenly the door swung open and hit the shape-shifter right in the face.  
"Titans, trouble!" Robin shouted as he bolted through the door.  
"Dude, I'm fine. Don't care about my broken nose," Beast Boy murmured after he shoved the door closed only to see that Robin was already running towards the T-Car.  
"What is the situation?" Raven asked when she floated out of her room. "It's Cinderblock! He's at the Theme Park!" their leader shouted before he started the R-Cycle.  
"And what could he possibly want from a Theme Park?" Cyborg asked while the other titans entered the T-Car.  
"I guess it's not having fun," Beast Boy guessed, making Cyborg and Raven look at him in annoyance.  
They sped out of the tower, Robin leading the way on his motorcycle.  
Raven stared out the window, wondering what Cinderblock might want to do in a Theme Park. And was really Slade behind Robin's disappearance? She closed her eyes.  
Or was there possibly something else going on?  
Suddenly Robin's voice broke through the speakers of the car. "Something came up at the Tower! You guys go ahead! I'll catch up to you later!"  
"Robin, wait-"  
But the speakers crackled before Raven could finish. Angry at their leader's stubbornness, she opened the door of the car, before turning back to Cyborg.  
"Don't follow me!"  
She floated out of the window and soon found the red R-Cycle speeding back towards their tower.  
They were reaching the border of Jump City, when she noticed Plasmus wrecking a jewelry store.  
She passed him, her eyes still on her leader. She had no time for him now.  
Unfortunately, Plasmus didn't care and Raven was shot with green goo from behind, causing her to roll a few times on the ground.  
"I have no time to play with you," she said annoyed and lifted her hands, causing 2 street lamps to lift from the ground and fly towards him. Plasmus shot more slime but Raven managed to avoid them and flicked her hands. The street lamps began to bend and quickly wrapped themselves around the slime monster that struggled now wildly to release himself from them.  
Raven stepped in front of Plasmus and muttered a spell before he stopped struggling and a sleeping human was in his place, covered in goo.  
She turned around and realized that, just as expected, she lost Robin.  
She was glad that he told them where he was going and flew to the tower. Meanwhile, the others were at the entrance of the Theme park.  
"Are you certain that Cinderblock is somewhere in this location?" Starfire asked as they entered the empty Amusement Park.  
"Robin said so but this place seems like it's haunted," Cyborg replied, looking over at the each of the empty rides.  
"Haunted? Don't tell me you believe…in ghosts, Cy," Beast Boy grinned at his best friend.  
"I said it seemed so. I'm not superstitious," he replied in annoyance. "Unlike some other friends I have."  
Beast Boy frowned and ran up to his friend who sped up his walk. "Hey, I held my own against a talking gorilla and a brain in a jar. If that wasn't scary, then I'll change my name," Beast Boy boasted, giving his friend a smug grin.  
Cyborg chuckled amused, remembering Beast Boy's real name. "I actually was referring to…Raven."  
Beast Boy broke out in loud laughter, causing him to roll on the ground while Starfire looked on in confusion.  
"Beast Boy, I do not understand why the concept of fear is so funny?"  
"Star…with Raven there isn't much to understand," he breathed, finally starting to calm down.  
This caused the alien to feel even more confused.  
"Get it together. We have to find Cinderblock," the half-robot said and sped up, followed by the others.  
"But I guess we won't find him any time soon," Beast Boy said, seeing no movement around the whole park up until now.  
Meanwhile, Raven finally reached the Tower and entered the common room.  
She passed it, making her way through the hallways but didn't see Robin in any of their rooms. Raven continued to the training room but after finding it also empty, decided to look for him in the evidence room.  
She stepped out of the training room, when suddenly she noticed movement to her left.  
"Robin," she called.  
The shadow turned the corner.  
She followed and let her anger show.  
"Robin, your selfishness will get us in…trouble."  
Raven was faced with 20 Sladebots staring down at her.  
They immediately reached for her and Raven managed to enclose half of them in a black ball of dark magic and proceeded to throw them out of the window, shattering the glass in the process.  
She was tackled from behind, throwing her out of the window.  
She managed to lift some of the shattered glass and stab the robot so that he let go of her. Raven flew back up and evaded another Sladebot and using her dark magic, sent him flying towards 2 others.  
Unfortunately, she failed to notice that one of them dropped a small ball with a queer blinking red light.  
It exploded right in front of her, sending her against the window, breaking it. But Raven managed to hold onto the rim of the window.  
The minions hovered over her, and one of them raised their foot to slam it down onto her hand.  
"No, you don't," she said and her free hand was once again covered in dark light.  
The minion was pushed out of the tower by her shelf, books scattering in the air.  
She floated back inside, but was followed by Slade's minions, the remaining 8.  
"Robin?" she called as she tried to reach the evidence room.  
A blinking red light flashed in front of her and she stopped immediately.  
Unfortunately, she didn't get far when the bomb exploded and sent her against the wall.  
She managed to sit when all 8 of them charged at her at once. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."  
A black shield covered her, keeping the minions away from her.  
"I have no time to care for you," she said slowly and suddenly the shield burst, throwing the minions back.  
And suddenly, the floor of the tower was filled with small balls of red light.  
Raven really hated those minions!  
She floated as far away as she could, but nothing could have protected her from the impact of the explosion that destroyed a large part of the Tower. The half-demon struggled to get up beneath rubble, metal and glass, her body sustaining quite some damage after being thrown to the other side of her home.  
The shield that had protected her from life-threatening wounds disappeared. Raven slowly made herself towards the evidence room, stopping in front of the door.  
She flinched from the pain that had reached her legs. Her eyes faded to white in case more minions decided to try to take her out.  
With a flick of her hand, the door opened and a dark room greeted her.  
She stepped inside and called for her leader. "Robin! Slade minions are swarming the Tower," she murmured.  
When receiving no answer, she felt a sense of fear making its way to her mind.  
Did Robin probably get-.  
Her thought was interrupted when she saw a broken glass case. It wasn't very big and it was the only one that was broken. What had been inside?  
And while she was pondering about it, a shadow spread over the glass case – and it was becoming bigger.  
Raven came into contact with what felt like hard rock that sent her against the glass container and continued to slam against the wall.  
Her hands glowed black before a black wall formed between her and the wall that was threatening to crush her.  
The wall cracked and broke when it hit the black shield with its enormous speed.  
Raven stared into the dust and falling pieces of the ceiling as her shield disappeared.  
She noticed a large hole in the wall opposite of her, cracks lining the edges.  
"R-Robin! Where are you?" she groaned, pain starting to get the better of her.  
"Raven…"  
She gasped when she heard that voice – the voice of her leader.  
And suddenly hope spread through her when she saw his face slowly emerging from beneath the hole in the wall.  
He was unharmed!  
But anger also mixed with hope, wanting to give him a good lecture when the others arrived back home.  
Raven took out her communicator and was received by Starfire.  
"Raven! We couldn't locate Cinderblock." The alien gasped when she saw Raven covered in dust and bruises. "What happened?"  
"Slade…is behind this. Come back to the Tower. I found Robin," she gasped, trying hard to suppress the pain she felt.  
And then came a whisper.  
"I'm sorry."  
Raven looked at Robin and her eyes widened in shock.  
"R-Robin? W-what are you doing?" she stammered.  
Robin was in the orange and black suit from his apprenticeship with Slade and had a regretful look in his eyes.  
Raven stood up, alarmed before the ground she was standing on began to shake. But she ignored it as she realized what caused him to stay in the air.  
He was sitting on a floating rock and Raven realized another person behind him in shiny metal armor.  
"He's doing something that he should have done a long time ago."  
Raven felt anger boiling inside of her, hearing that voice.  
A girl with blonde hair stood behind Robin, a triumphant smirk on her face.  
"Terra!" Raven shouted angrily and her hands shot out but suddenly the ground below her began cracking.  
Terra and Robin watched Raven as they were moving away from her.  
"Azarath, Metrion, -"  
But before Raven could finish her chant, the ground below her gave in and she fell since she had no more energy to float.  



	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Friend or Foe It was dark.  
Her whole world was dark – darker than ever in her life.  
She tried to move but she felt numb.  
Was this…death?  
If this was death…how come she heard voices?  
Indistinct words reached her ears and she strained to hear.  
Blurred images appeared before her eyes and the words became clearer.  
"Raven…"  
"…happened?"  
"Where…Robin?" The images sharpened and she was faced with the distraught faces of Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy.  
"How glorious! You are awake," Starfire cried with tears in her eyes and hugged the half-demon tightly.  
"Star…fire," Raven croaked.  
The alien immediately let her go, an embarrassed blush on her face. "I…apologize."  
"Are you…ok?" Cyborg asked, not trying to be too pushy.  
Raven groaned, her head still throbbing lightly. "I…don't know. I found Robin and-"  
And her eyes opened wide when realizing why she was in this state. "Terra!"  
Beast Boy looked confused at her. "Terra?"  
"She…kidnapped Robin! She's working for Slade!" Raven said, and her hands turned to fists.  
"Raven, are you sure of this?" Starfire asked.  
"I saw her…with Slade's symbol on her chest." But she wasn't the only one.  
"And Robin…had the same symbol," Raven murmured, receiving gasps from Cyborg and Starfire.  
Beast Boy remained unnaturally quiet. "Terra…doesn't exist."  
Raven turned to look at the shape-shifter. "I saw her, Beast Boy!"  
"That's…not Terra," he murmured.  
"She is working for Slade! She betrayed us! She just pretended not to remember…so she could get us when we least expect it!" Then why did she rescue him?  
Why did she interfere when she easily had the chance to lose 2 titans at once?  
"She still…has a heart."  
"If she had a heart…then she wouldn't have lied to you," Raven replied.  
"No, she lied because she had a heart. And I thought you would understand that better than anyone, Raven. You know how it feels when you're losing control over your powers, right?" Raven stared in surprise before she replied. "And yet she decided to become Slade's apprentice again."  
"It's the suit. Both Robin and Terra are being forced to work for him. We only have to break through to them," Beast Boy replied, his eyes burning in determination.  
Was it just the suit? Were they really being forced to work for Robin's arch-nemesis?  
So why couldn't they break free…like they did before?  
Meanwhile, an ex-titan and titan leader were walking through a narrow hallway.  
The hallway was dimly-lit and their footsteps echoed all the way until they reached a large hall that was also dimly-lit. Robin turned to Terra. "Why are we here? Where is…Slade?"  
The blonde-haired girl gave an amused smile before she answered. "It's ok…to say his name. And we are only here to prepare ourselves."  
He looked at her confused. "Prepare for what?"  
She faced the boy wonder and her eyes glowed yellow. "For this."  
She aimed a fist at him and he ducked, grabbing her arm in the process and threw her over his shoulder.  
She smirked up at him before her hands glowed yellow. Rumbling sounded behind him and he noticed 2 large pillars flying towards him.  
He jumped sideways to avoid them but failed to see that Terra fired a 3rd one from in front of him.  
Robin took out some bird-a-rangs and threw them towards the approaching pillar that exploded on contact.  
Terra was standing on a large boulder and shot out her hands once more, causing numerous spear-like rocks to fly towards him.  
Robin used his acrobatic skills to dodge the first few but switched to explosives, destroying most of the dangerous weapons.  
He took out his grappling hook to get closer to the rock user but was surprised to see Terra approaching him directly.  
He fired a flash pellet at her, blinding her momentarily and attached himself to the floating rock. But when the light vanished, he realized that Terra had vanished!  
"Behind you!" He turned to the voice but was shocked to see a boulder of the size of a car flying towards him. Robin managed to jump to safety before the boulder collided with the smaller rock, causing broken pieces to rain down on him. He turned around only came face to face with an angry Terra that managed to land a punch that had been enhanced by covering it in rock, into his face.  
Robin fell to the hard floor.  
"I can't believe…that you're supposed to be a leader! You didn't even touch me!"  
Robin got back onto his feet and took out his Bo Staff, eyes staring angrily at the ex-titan.  
"Give me your best shot!" she taunted before both charged.  
Terra aimed another rock enhanced punch but Robin ducked and swiped the Bo staff at her legs. Terra saw this coming, however and jumped, sending her foot against his face.  
He stumbled but regained composure to evade another punch from her and this time, managed to get a hit at her head, sending her to the ground.  
"I…don't want to hurt you, Terra!" he said, waiting for her to get up.  
She chuckled in response before she stood up and her hands shot out in front of her, sending several pebbles towards the leader.  
Robin swung his staff in circles, causing them to crumble. And suddenly he saw Terra charging at him on a floating rock and Robin threw 2 two explosive discs but to his dismay, he saw a make-shift shield form in front of her, rendering his attack useless.  
The shield disappeared momentarily to form another spear and Robin decided to use the chance and jumped onto the floating rock, his staff pressed against Terra's neck, thus throwing both of them off the floating rock.  
Robin pressed the staff against Terra's neck, making it clear that he won. Terra's hand lifted and glowed yellow. Robin pressed the staff harder against her, earning him a flinch from the former titan before she spoke in a slightly strained voice.  
"I would look behind you if I were you."  
Robin turned his head slightly, Terra still visible from the corner of his eye.  
He stared in surprise.  
A large, pointy pillar hovered above his back, ready to pierce him at any moment.  
"What would you do? Kill…or be killed?"  
Robin stayed silent.  
"That's enough!"  
Both turned to the sound of the voice.  
It came from the end of the hall, from a shadowy figure sitting in a make-shift chair made of stone.  
Robin removed his staff and Terra got up to her feet before the figure spoke again.  
"It's time to focus on the next mission." Robin and Terra walked up to the figure, both wanting to know what he had to say.  
"What is it?" Terra asked.  
The man leaned closer, an orange and black mask appearing out of the shadows.  
"Something you both will quite enjoy," the villain said and Robin could almost see the smirk beneath the mask.  
"Tell me, Slade," Robin said through clenched teeth.  
Back at the Tower, Cyborg was still trying to fix the damage made to the Tower and wiped his forehead from all the effort.  
"How long will it take to fix it?" Raven asked, inspecting the partially repaired wall. "About a few hours more. Until then, I have to keep the security system off," he said and Raven felt the stress get to her again.  
Why was the security system turned off when she found Robin?  
Probably to stall her, so the Slade minions could enter the tower and Robin could steal…whatever was in that case.  
So Robin must have turned it off…but why did he need to?  
It was his tower as well and he could easily take whatever he needed.  
So was the Slade minions' goal…something else?  
And suddenly it dawned on her.  
Her communicator began beeping and she saw that trouble was at the harbor.  
"Cyborg…we have to leave. There's trouble at the docks."  
"And what about the Tower? What if Slade comes back for something else?"  
He had a point!  
"Then I'll go-"  
"You can't. Not in this condition," Cyborg commented, making Raven look at him skeptically. "You're not rested enough."  
"Demons…don't need rest," she reasoned, only leading to Cyborg pulling her to her room against her will. "Cyborg!"  
"Demons don't…but humans do," he replied, making Raven look at him in confusion. "I'll just send Beast Boy and Starfire. I'll stay with you to finish with that wall. Slade won't dare to come back!"  
She gave him a small smile. "I…guess you're right," she murmured in defeat.  
A while later, Beast Boy and Starfire were standing in front of lined-up ships.  
"Who do you think is it?" Starfire asked the green shape-shifter.  
"If it's Red X again, I'll stop eating tofu for a week," he replied while looking for anything suspicious.  
But the ships remained motionless, except for their slow bobbing up and down.  
Could it be false alarm?  
"Beast Boy?" the alien asked.  
He looked at her confused, hearing a hint of grief in her voice. "Do you think…I am weak?"  
He arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Why do you think that? Don't go all blue on me!"  
She gasped and touched her face and stared at his face afterwards. "You are still green. But I can't see I if I have turned of blue color."  
Beast Boy laughed. "No, Star. I mean you shouldn't be…sad. It doesn't look good on you."  
"How can emotion resemble clothing?" she asked and Beast Boy regretted talking to her in normal, slang language.  
"Why are you sad?" he asked simply.  
"I feel…like my good nature…and my lack of knowledge of earth…causes us to get in trouble."  
He looked on in surprise. "Trouble? And I thought I was the trouble-maker on the team. Sure, you like having fun and do really weird things that you consider fun…but you're never trouble."  
"But it was me that was trying to destroy Jump City when we first met," she said and looked at her feet.  
"And that's what made us Teen Titans!"  
"So…you are not mad that I almost caused us to perish, including the events of 2 nights ago?"  
"You were our creator…in a way. How could we be mad?"  
She smiled. "And remember that it was you who prevented an alien invasion from those strange white monsters and you defeated Blackfire…again," he grinned.  
Images of 2 weeks ago flashed through her mind that included Starfire along with the other titans defeating an alien army that was attacking Tamaran – except for one that was still on earth until it was defeated by the Beast a few days ago. And she remembered mirroring the same words to her sister after defeating her who had acquired the same material-absorbing powers as the white monsters that waged war with her home planet. And she thanked her sister with a hug for it before she was sent to a faraway planet to be cured of her powers and later sent to prison.  
Starfire placed a hand on Beast Boy's. "I'm grateful to have you as a friend."  
"Same with me," he replied.  
A pebble rolled towards them, startling them.  
"Too bad…that today is the last day of your friendship."  
Beast Boy's eyes opened wide at hearing that voice and turned around.  
"But it was good…while it lasted."  
Starfire looked up and stared wide-eyed at the figure in front of her.  
In front of Starfire and Beast Boy stood Robin and Terra respectively – Slade's symbol shining in the moonlight.  



	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer:I don't own Teen Titans or this would have happened lol. To those viewers, please review. :)

Chapter 10: Torn team

Standing back to back, the 2 usually joyful titans stared in horror at their former friends – their crushes.  
"Terra? What…are you doing here?" Beast Boy asked, staring at the Slade insignia on her chest.  
"Only what I have been told to," she smirked, her eyes staring coldly back at him.  
"Slade," Beast Boy muttered the name like it was poisonous.  
"But Robin…knows how to escape this evil villain. Just like he used to, right?" Starfire smiled and looked at Robin for confirmation.  
But she only received silent treatment.  
Starfire spoke with more seriousness. "What have you been told?"  
Robin moved towards the alien. She carefully stepped back but couldn't get farther since Beast Boy was still motionless.  
He stopped and pulled something out of his belt pocket – his communicator.  
In his other hand he held a lock pick and proceeded to open the front part that had the T symbol.  
"What do you wish to accomplish with that?" Starfire asked.  
Robin paused for a moment and she noticed that his hand that held the lock pick was shivering slightly. Beast Boy took out his communicator, finding Robin's behavior very suspicious.  
"Cy, anything new from the Tower?" the changeling asked his robotic friend.  
"No, but the wall's almost done-" "We found-" In that moment, the connection disabled and his communicator turned to a blank blue screen with the words 'connection lost' written on the display.  
"Cyborg?"  
Starfire took out her own communicator and tried to reach some of the honorary Titans but saw with dismay that the normally red dots that would have to appear on the screen, weren't there and the same message from Beast Boy's communicator was flashing on it as well.  
Robin had cut the connections to all Titans around the world and replaced the lock pick in his belt.  
"Let's start with phase one…" Terra said and the ground under her feet shook before it broke away and lifted her into the air. "Starfire…" Beast Boy's voice came from behind her, only as a whisper.  
She saw with shock that Robin crushed his own communicator in his hand before a strange smirk spread on his lips.  
"Whatever you do, don't let them get your communicator."  
"…tearing them apart!" Terra's voice bellowed.  
Beast Boy and Starfire bolted as soon as both apprentices charged at them – Beast Boy having transformed into a hawk, flying west while Starfire flew east.  
The alien took a look behind her and noticed that Robin wasn't following her. He couldn't fly after all.  
Starfire breathed a sigh of relief and followed Beast Boy's direction when suddenly a disc passed her and exploded in front of her, causing smoke to blind her momentarily.  
She went around the smoke and caught a glimpse of a green hawk being in pursuit by a girl on a flying piece of rock.  
Starfire sped up, knowing that if she wanted to have a higher chance of escape, she had to stick with Beast Boy.  
Meanwhile the changeling lowered his altitude, passing under a bridge.  
"You can run but you can't escape," Terra shouted menacingly and her hands glowed yellow.  
Spear-like structures formed out of the rocks and with a wave of her hand, send them straight for the green hawk.  
The hawk flew upwards as soon as he came out of the tunnel, escaping the spears.  
Too bad he missed the boulder that hit him head-on from above the bridge.  
The changeling tumbled towards the street, turning back to his human form.  
Tires screeched and Beast Boy came face to face with a car that was about to run him over and braced for the impact.  
A loud crash rang in his ears but he wasn't in pain. The green teen opened his eyes and saw that the car that was headed for him just mere seconds ago was close to falling off the bridge, the hood and side of the car completely smashed in.  
Terra stood in front of him, her hands lifted in front of her face.  
She had just saved his life – again!  
Beast Boy just managed to sit up before Terra stepped in front of him.  
"Give me your communicator…or die," she said, giving him an icy stare.  
"Terra…you don't have to do this. We can help you," Beast Boy tried to reach out to her.  
The blonde-haired girl stared at the boy with hatred in her eyes. "I told you before that I'm not some sad, little girl that needs help. I…can take care of myself."  
"And destroying everything you ever cared about is how you do it? I know it's the suit and you can break free of Slade's control."  
"It's not the suit, Beast Boy. It's my choice!"  
Her hands lifted slowly and the changeling felt the ground under him vibrate.  
"I know you have a heart. That's why you saved me and Starfire from falling. I know…there's still a Titan in you!" the shape-shifter shouted over the rumble of the imminent earthquake.  
"Not anymore!"  
Cracks appeared under his feet and spread long distances all over the bridge and he saw with horror that a car was swallowed by one of the cracks that had increased in size.  
He shakily stood up, trying to keep his balance and trying to stand the pain that had spread on his right side.  
Suddenly Starfire had emerged from behind Terra and shot a starbolt at her that sent her towards the street, making the vibrations stop.  
Unfortunately, there wasn't much damage done since she emerged with a rock shield in front of her.  
"My turn, Starfire," she smirked and rocks of the size of footballs shot at her and Starfire managed to break them by firing laser from her eyes.  
Unfortunately she didn't notice that Terra had managed to get up to her and had landed a large piece of concrete on top of her.  
Starfire crashed towards the ground but her will enabled her to stand back up.  
"You're really sturdy. And I thought…you were weak," Terra sneered down at the alien.  
Starfire's glowing eyes burned into Terra's cold ones. "I am…not weak!"  
Just as Starfire was about to attack again, a flash pellet landed in front of the alien and exploded, blinding all combatants.  
She heard footsteps and her hands glowed green but was taken by surprise when the footsteps just passed her.  
"I don't need to see to crush you!" Terra shouted and lifted her arms, deciding to drop half of the bridge on those two Titans.  
Suddenly Terra felt a burning sting on her ankle and shook her foot.  
And her eyes opened wide when she realized a green spider was dropping towards the bridge.  
The spider morphed back into a human before he was hit in the face with Robin's Bo staff.  
"Robin! Snap out of it!" Beast Boy shouted angrily, before he evaded a swing of the staff and then aimed a punch at his former leader.  
Robin stepped aside and swung his staff in a half-circle but the changeling, having been trained a little in martial arts by his opponent right now, managed to evade and sent his foot against his chest causing the leader skid backwards.  
Robin took out 2 small black balls and threw them towards the concrete, causing smoke to rise.  
Knowing that Robin would try to use confusion to his advantage, Beast Boy turned to a ram and charged head-on only to be surprised that Robin jumped onto his back and jumped to catch a falling Terra.  
"I…can't move," Terra groaned and Robin turned to Beast Boy before the leader fired another smoke bomb.  
Beast Boy ran towards the smoke when a disc came flying towards him and upon contact, he felt his feet frozen together as he tumbled across the bridge. "Robin! Terra!" he shouted but when the smoke had cleared, they had vanished.  
Starfire came up to the shape-shifter and used the laser from her eyes to melt the ice that had formed around Beast Boy's feet.  
"What should we do now?" Starfire asked with worry.  
Beast Boy decided to check on the communicator's signal but received the same message.  
Starfire followed his example but gasped when she couldn't find it.  
"Star, where is your communicator?" Beast Boy asked apprehensively.  
"I-I…don't know. I-I…must have dropped it somewhere. I am…truly sorry for having failed."  
Beast Boy placed a hand on her arm reassuringly but wondered what they would want with their communicator.  
Monitor their every move like the Brotherhood of Evil had done?  
Both said not a word as they made their way back home. But when they arrived, they saw that Cyborg and Raven were missing.  
Were they possibly…ambushed?


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Inner demon A heavy silence hung over the tower as Beast Boy and Starfire realized that they may be the only titans left.  
But how could they stop Slade?  
How could they bring Robin and Terra back?  
And how could they find Cyborg and Raven?  
Starfire dropped to the floor, feeling her joy leaving her like it was water leaking out of a pipe. "Did Terra…take our friends, Cyborg and Raven?" she murmured, unsure if she wanted to hear an answer.  
Beast Boy shifted his view to the floor, trying to keep himself together.  
That girl wasn't Terra.  
That boy wasn't Robin.  
They were puppets – and puppets couldn't take people away.  
His hands turned to fists before he faced the alien with a somewhat forced grin. "Jeez, I totally forgot…that they went to stop Mumbo. They told me that they would finish with the repairs when they came back but…you know what happened," he finished his speech and beamed at Starfire, hoping she would believe him.  
Her face turned serious. "I can understand the state you are in, but I do not believe lying to your friends will improve it," she said and her eyes showed a hint of disappointment before she walked to her room.  
Beast Boy's grin vanished and he let out an angry groan, slapping his forehead in frustration.  
Despite being very cheery and at times, naïve, Starfire valued honesty above all things and Beast Boy had forgotten this!  
He stomped angrily in the opposite direction and tried to see if he somehow could access the communicators of Cyborg and Raven but found himself standing dumbfounded in front of the large computer screen, wishing Cyborg was here since he was half-computer after all.  
He smiled weakly, realizing that he already missed the half-robot and the half-demon even though he and Starfire were out for only 2-3 hours. And now he was making things with Starfire complicated too. He was such an idiot!  
With a sigh, he walked towards Starfire's room to make things right with her.  
Meanwhile somewhere deep underground, the 2 apprentices presented Starfire's communicator to their master.  
The villain in the orange and black mask glanced at the yellow device in Robin's hand but took it nonetheless.  
"Where is she?" he asked.  
He didn't flinch at the tone of his voice that had hints of disappointment. "I had…to abandon the mission. Beast Boy seemed to have poisoned Terra." The leader stepped aside, revealing Terra lying stiffly on the ground, her eyes filled with anger and fear as she stared back at Slade.  
"I think that Terra will be just fine," he murmured, causing Robin to show surprise at his words.  
"Fine? She's poisoned! She could die!"  
Robin stepped back when he realized that he had shouted at Slade who gave him a dangerous look.  
"Prove it!"  
"What? You have to run tests on her and-"  
"Hit her," he said coldly, taking Robin by surprise.  
"Slade…"  
His eye narrowed at the boy wonder. "If you want her to have a chance at survival, you have to hit her."  
Robin turned to Terra, a heavy feeling cruising through him as he stepped over to her.  
She stared fear-stricken at him before she heard Slade's voice.  
"Defend yourself."  
Terra managed to clench her teeth in anger and effort to move from the floor.  
"Do it, Robin."  
Slade's words were followed by a painful kick to her stomach but her hands remained at her sides.  
"Now her face. And make it hurt this time," Slade's words reached her ears, sending more will-power through her but to no avail.  
She saw with horror that Robin had taken out his staff, lifting it over his head.  
She cursed Beast Boy silently before a sharp pain cut through her head, causing her to scream in agony. She opened her eyes but all she saw was white.  
Robin looked at the still form of Terra. She moved only because the hit was powerful enough to change her position. Her head had a nasty blue bruise that covered a large part of her head. He was sure if he punched her only once, he would be able to break the fragile skin and see her bleed.  
"She's only paralyzed. The poison will wear off," Slade remarked calmly.  
"Slade…stop." Robin's voice was small, almost pleading as he still stared at the pained image of Terra, her eyes darting back and forth in an attempt to make out her surrounding.  
"But she failed me nonetheless – you too Robin," Slade's voice came from behind him and he turned around only to have a punch sending him next to the ex-titan. Robin managed to lift himself up and evaded another punch sent for him and countered only to have his arm pulled into Slade's grip. With a swift twist, Robin was on his knees, screaming in pain.  
"I'm impressed that you managed to resist me all this time. You even hesitated to attack your alien friend. I made a good choice to select you as my apprentice," Slade's words sent shivers running down Robin's spine.  
"Leave…her alone," Robin groaned, lifting his head to look at Slade.  
"It is surprising that as a perceptive person…you failed to notice that Terra let Beast Boy poison her. It was only slight hesitation…but that was a dangerous mistake."  
Slade released Robin and swiped at him with his staff, causing him to slam to the floor.  
"And everyone will have to pay for their mistakes eventually," Slade muttered, the staff meeting his hand in repetitive manner as Terra and Robin stared silently in anger and fear.  
Beast Boy and Starfire were in the common room, both unable to get rest and the shape-shifter was currently zapping through the TV channels, trying to get a clear head.  
He was lucky that Starfire was such a forgiving person and he didn't know what came over him when he hugged her. She, of course, returned the hug with twice the enthusiasm and a few pieces of advice on friendship. Since then he swore he couldn't feel his arms. Red light suddenly filled the tower and the two titans dashed towards the entrance of Titan Tower, happy to be able to take their minds off their seemingly hopeless situation.  
And when they dashed through the entrance, they faced a sight that caused them to stop with their mouths hanging open in surprise.  
Cyborg and Raven stood in front of them, a confused look on both of their faces.  
"What's the matter?" Raven asked looking from Starfire to Beast Boy.  
"Raven! You are unharmed!"  
Starfire threw herself lovingly around the short-haired girl.  
"Where have you been?" Beast Boy asked with a mixture of joy and annoyance.  
"We could ask you the same thing. We just lost you and then a crime came up and…I tried to sneak out the tower to take care of it but I guess Raven wasn't sleeping and was pretty mad."  
A sudden silence fell over Beast Boy, realizing that he would have to bring bad news to the two teammates.  
"We…got into a fight."  
"With who?" Raven asked, stepping closer to the green teen.  
He closed his eyes as if it hurt to say the next words. "It was with Robin…and Terra!"  
"Terra!" Raven's voice was filled with anger; it made Beast Boy flinch.  
"But why Robin? Why did they want to fight you?" Cyborg asked, ignoring that Raven wanted to ask him more questions.  
"They…wanted our communicators. I have no idea what for though," the shape-shifter mumbled.  
"And you managed to escape? Or did they flee?" Raven asked, her eyes burning into the changeling's.  
"They fled since Terra…got taken out of the fight," he replied, feeling uneasy under her scrutinizing gaze.  
Starfire decided to be honest and gave her an answer that was sure to shock her best friend.  
"But they fled with my communicator."  
Starfire watched in fear as Raven verbally lashed out at her.  
"You let them escape? Do you know what that means, Starfire? That means they have the possibility to know where we are – at all times! They could take us out one by one without us knowing when and who they will take out first! That means we can forget about contacting help and that we have to stay together! And when we stay together we can get crushed all at once!"  
Starfire had stepped back at the violent outburst from Raven, her face twisted in worry and fear.  
"Raven," Cyborg murmured and put his hand on her shoulder but she slapped it away.  
"Terra has the chance to destroy us all and we might not be able to survive this time."  
Beast Boy heard enough and stepped between Starfire and Raven. "Terra has changed!" he shouted but Raven was unimpressed by his statement.  
"She almost killed you once and she's doing it again! She hasn't changed at all!"  
"So you still think that she is out to destroy the city? Or to work for Slade?"  
"You know better than I do! Why else did she run back to Slade?"  
"She didn't run back to him! He made her and besides, she redeemed herself, remember? So why would she go back to someone she killed herself and sacrifice herself for a city only to destroy it later?"  
Raven's next words were filled with hatred and lingered like a ghost in the air. "She deceived you…for revenge."  
"You are deceiving yourself, Raven. So your bond with Terra didn't mean anything to you?" he asked, his voice lowering.  
Her eyes opened wide at his words, only for more hatred to fill her. What did Beast Boy know about her bond with Terra? The most he had with her was…a puppy crush.  
"You…don't know anything about me!" Raven said dangerously as she felt the hatred spread through her.  
Her eyes began to glow an eerily red color, making Starfire and Cyborg jump from the sudden change of Raven's appearance.  
"You had a bond, Raven! Don't try to deny it!" Beast Boy insisted, and Raven's hood fell off, her gem in the center of her forehead glowing.  
She had a hideous grin on her face before she floated off the ground. And in a demonic voice she answered the shape-shifter. "Bonds are meant to be broken!"  
Her hands glowed black, having reached the point where she would break all her bonds. Suddenly she felt something slam against her and hold onto her tightly. "See? That's the bond you share, Raven."  
The voice came from her ear when she realized that Beast Boy had thrown himself around her, unwilling to let her go.  
She slowly floated towards the ground, the hatred diminishing slightly.  
"Your wish to be in control is what you share. And you know that," the changeling murmured as her feet finally touched the ground.  
The red glow faded from her eyes and Beast Boy let her go.  
Raven drew her hood back up, concealing her face. "But this bond is not enough to stop her," she murmured and went inside the Tower, making sure that nobody saw the tears that had appeared in her eyes. 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Broken Beast Boy and Cyborg were driving back from their fight with Dr. Light who had been using the lighthouse at the harbor for his evil scheme to redirect the sun's rays to the light house and store it before intensifying and directing it towards the city. He said it would ensure that Jump City would have sunshine every day. But fortunately it was foiled by Cyborg's cyber-cannon who charged at the giant light bulb that was storing the sunlight, on a nice-looking green steed. And as punishment Dr. Light received nice, red hoof prints on his face. Starfire had insisted that she would stay with Raven, hoping to be able to cheer her up if there was any need for it and they decided it was better that Raven wouldn't be left alone.  
Cyborg passed the confectionary and hit the brakes.  
"Dude, I almost crashed through the windshield," Beast Boy complained.  
"Hey, how about we take things easy for a while?" Cyborg said and pointed out of the window, Beast Boy following his gaze.  
His eyes landed on a red cake. "Taking it easy, huh? Sure, if you're paying," he smiled, making the half-robot sigh.  
The changeling and robotic teen were taking an almost judging look at each and every one of the pastries as their eyes wandered hungrily from one shelf to the next.  
"Oh, they all look good. Can we take all of them?" Beast Boy asked, his mouth already watering.  
"No," Cyborg replied.  
"Why? I bet you have tons of money inside all that metal. You're practically a walking ATM machine," the short teen retorted while poking several of Cyborg's metal body parts, hoping a cash register would open or something like that.  
"That's because I'm not," Cyborg shouted annoyed.  
"Do you at least know if they have tofu cake?" Beast Boy asked, taking a longing look at several of the red and yellow colored cakes.  
"First, I doubt a thing such as tofu cake even exists, and second, the cake is for Raven," Cyborg explained, causing Beast Boy to sulk. "Do you know what kind of cakes she likes?"  
"I didn't even know half-demons eat at all," he said, giving up on the upper shelf as well. "Do you at least know what her favorite color is?"  
Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember. "I guess it was blue."  
"Then how about this one?" Cyborg asked and pointed to the lower shelf, a small, round cake with blue frosting lying almost forgotten in the corner.  
The room was dark and had little light that was provided by some candles.  
She felt her numbness gradually fade, being able to move her arms.  
If it wasn't for the strong pain, Terra would have managed to move from her sitting position. Blue bruises covered her arms and legs, each more painful than the other. But Robin received twice the punishment, since he had stepped between Terra and Slade and she had to watch as Slade mercilessly beat the boy wonder until he couldn't get up anymore.  
One hour had passed since the beating and Terra was stunned that Robin managed to sit across from her, trying hard to stop from flinching.  
He always was so uptight. But maybe this uptightness caused the Titans to survive her attacks when she had become Slade's apprentice.  
And sometimes she wished she had his strength – she wished she had been as hard and sturdy as the element she controlled instead of being fragile like glass.  
And maybe she would have never betrayed them that day.  
She realized that Robin watched her from across, his face contorted in silent concentration. "I…knew that you wouldn't come back to Slade," he murmured.  
And sometimes she thought that the same strength made him naïve.  
"And…yet I am here in his lair – again," she replied in the same tone of voice.  
"On your own will?"  
"You told me…neither were you…but you did what he told you to nonetheless," she murmured, the numbness fading further into nothing.  
Robin was silent. "But I broke free."  
"So did I."  
"Because of our friends," he smiled despite the pain it caused.  
But she didn't feel as hopeful. "The same friends we are destroying…" A large computer screen displayed an image of an annoyed Cyborg, a grinning Beast Boy, and finally a meditating Raven.  
The image focused on her as she murmured her chant in order to control her emotions that threatened to leak earlier. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."  
"Time to finish with phase one," a man in an orange and black mask murmured as Starfire's communicator blinked on the desk next to the screen.  
Meanwhile Raven finally managed to get her emotions under control and dropped onto her bed and opened her eyes.  
And suddenly she heard Starfire from behind her closed door chanting. "Mustard, Silkie…Robin," she murmured the last word, obviously embarrassed.  
"Starfire?"  
The chanting stopped, followed by a short silence.  
"I want to talk to you," Raven said and in mere seconds, Starfire dashed into her room.  
"Yes, Raven?"  
"You were meditating?"  
She smiled sheepishly. "I just proceeded with the instructions you gave me. I closed my eyes, found my center and-"  
"Do you want to paint…toenails with me?"  
Starfire's eyes widened to an unnatural size before she ran off while shouting: "Glorious! Of course!"  
Raven smiled slightly. The least she could do after hurting her so much was to try to make her happy so she might get her powers back.  
Raven got up from her bed, deciding to get herself something to drink. She took a look into the refrigerator – half-empty orange juice, spoiled milk, empty water bottles and what Starfire referred to as 'blue, furry food'.  
She closed the door of the refrigerator with a sick feeling in her stomach. Maybe she should stick to tea.  
She turned around and stopped dead, her eyes staring in shock at what she saw.  
"Raven, I brought the paint for the nails of the toes," she heard Starfire shout from the hallway. "Raven?"  
"Why are…you here? What did you do to Robin?" Raven asked, with anger in her voice but kept her facial expression as normal as she could. Her eyes closed.  
"I didn't do anything to him. You know who is pulling the strings," a girl replied and stepped closer to the half-demon.  
"What did you do to Starfire's communicator?"  
"I told you that it's not me making the decisions. I'm only following orders."  
Raven opened her eyes but the image wouldn't fade – Terra standing in front of her in a black t-shirt that was revealing her belly and beige shorts. The Empath stared at the yellow T on the black background, feeling rage rising steadily in her. Terra wasn't a Teen Titan! "Why did you come?" Raven asked dangerously as her hands glowed black.  
The girl stepped closer and whispered words that Raven so wanted to hear but knew she shouldn't.  
"I wanted to see my best friend!"  
The rage inside her suddenly burst, manifesting itself in form of a giant black hand that took hold of the apprentice.  
"You are my enemy!" Raven growled in a demonic voice as her eyes glowed blood red.  
"So I have to destroy you!" she smirked and her hands glowed yellow.  
The roof of the tower ripped apart and hovered in the air.  
2 more red eyes appeared on Raven's forehead – the eyes of her father!  
Her world grew darker with each passing moment.  
And with a horrifying scream she let the hand close further around the ex-titan…before the roof dropped towards her, leaving her in complete darkness.  
Starfire ran towards the kitchen, hearing Raven's scream but found that the kitchen…was destroyed but empty.  
"Starfire…"  
She turned at the sound of the voice and her eyes widened in shock.  
"W-what did you do to Raven?"  
Meanwhile Cyborg and Beast Boy were finally arriving back home, cake in tow.  
Beast Boy opened the door but Cyborg stopped him.  
"I think it's better if you wait here for a while," he smiled at his best friend.  
"Why? So you can eat the whole cake by yourself? I'm not buying your stories," he said, crossing his arms.  
"Just stay in case Raven is still mad and needs time to cool off. And you'll give her the cake," he grinned this time.  
"I just hope she doesn't send me flying out of her room if she's still fuming," Beast Boy murmured while glancing at the box in his hands.  
He watched Cyborg enter the Tower and sighed tiredly. He turned off the music that blared all the way home.  
5 minutes passed and he dozed off.  
10 minutes passed and he awoke dazed.  
He couldn't wait any longer and went inside.  
The rooms and hallways were empty and he turned to the kitchen.  
The sight he faced caused him to drop the box.  
Leaning against the wall, was Cyborg with the computer part of his head broken and his red eye glowing no more.  



	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Taming the Beast

Beast Boy stepped closer to the place that used to be a kitchen but now was a wasteland.

Glass and cracks lined the floor as sunlight shone through the rather large hole of the roof of the tower. Behind Cyborg was the missing piece of the roof, now lying in a heap of rocks, concrete and paint on the floor.

The fridge was lying face down further away, some of its contents spilled across the floor. It seemed that the fight had spread also to the common room as he saw that the TV was cracked and the sofa was ripped.

He stopped in front of his unmoving friend, unsure what to do next. "Cy? Are…you ok?"

He didn't know how to talk to a broken robot.

Broken.

His whole team was broken.

He was broken.

"Cyborg?" he murmured and touched the robot's hand, hoping he would grab him and tell him that it was only a prank – that everything up until now was just a silly, harmless prank.

But the silence told him otherwise.

He closed his eyes as grief and anger spread inside him like poison – slow but steady.

He clenched his hands, trying hard to control his boiling emotions that were manifesting themselves into a threating growl from somewhere inside of him.

The growl grew deeper, slowly turning into a scream as it reached his throat.

He grabbed his head, trying to suppress the instinct that told him to destroy whoever dared to approach his territory and murder his loved ones – his family.

Beast Boy took hold of his best friend's hands, feeling the heat from his rage seep slowly into his cold, metallic hands.

"I'll…fix you. Don't worry," he murmured, the scream inside his throat finally dying down.

The green teen morphed into a gorilla and heaved his friend over his shoulder, carrying him to his room.

He leaned him against his 'bed', wondering how he could fix the damage done to his head. And as the changeling stared at the broken head piece, he realized that no sparks were flying from the damaged spot.

He leaned closer and noticed that only the glass of it was broken. Beast Boy morphed into a green fly and placed himself on the edge of the broken glass.

And, indeed, the inside of his head was completely undamaged, he guessed.

So why was he shut down?

His eyes roamed over the half-robot until he stopped on a particular spot on his right arm - a spot where there seemed to be a compartment of some sort. The green teen morphed into a cat and jumped on his friend's lap. Extending his claws, he slipped them beneath the narrow gap of the lid and pulled it upwards. After 2 attempts, he managed to pull the lid off, revealing a few buttons and a port.

"Okay…now what?" he said aloud, wondering what would happen if he pressed one of those buttons. But he didn't want to risk breaking him further.

Suddenly a thought struck him and he took a look at Cyborg's other arm.

His eyes rested on a broken display but managed to see the blue light emitted from beneath it.

The bar that was displayed was empty and next to it a large number flashed in blue – 0%.

Beast Boy suddenly started laughing, scolding himself of why he didn't think of this sooner.

Cyborg's battery was empty!

He went over to the machine that was next to his bed, having seen Cyborg use it a few times when he went to sleep, and connected the charger to the plug of his battery cell.

Beast Boy's eyes sparked as the words 'charging' flashed on the display and left the room, knowing that it will take some time until Cyborg can reboot.

Eyelids slowly opened, a mixture of blurred shapes and colors dancing in front of her eyes.

She heard a female's voice in her ears.

"…phase one thanks to you."

The shapes and colors came into focus and she found herself in a windowless room, sitting on the cold floor.

Her hands were above her head, bound together by a metal clasp.

Starfire struggled against the restraint but couldn't break it.

"And the last titan is also taken care of," the girl's voice spoke again with arrogance.

Starfire looked to her left and saw Raven staring angrily at Terra who had worn her suit.

"There are two of us left, Terra! You forgot about Cyborg!" Raven said, her eyes reflecting the rage she felt towards the traitor.

She leaned down to Raven, who was in the same position as Starfire. "Cyborg is long gone…and I was referring to him."

"What do you mean?"

The traitor chuckled as Raven's hands glowed black, her emotions acting on their own. "You will find out soon enough!" the blonde-haired girl smirked and tuned to leave.

"Answer me!" Raven shouted and the light bulb in the room burst.

"Raven!" Starfire's voice echoed through the dark room.

The wall opposite of Raven, dented suddenly as the rage build up inside of her.

Raven closed her eyes – she needed to cool down if she wanted to be able to escape.

Starfire's gaze turned to the floor as Raven's chant mixed with her sadness.

Robin watched the large computer screen from a distance, as the masked villain switched from Cyborg's image to Beast Boy's.

He clenched his teeth in anger as he heard Beast Boy's murmured word – the one word that gave him almost a reason to kill.

"Slade…"

The screen showed red lights filling the partially destroyed common room as Beast Boy dashed towards the site of crime.

"You know what to do," the villain said without taking his eye off the screen.

The apprentice spoke as her blue eyes glowed with menace in the darkness. "Let's start with phase two."

Beast Boy reached the Theme Park and wondered if this was a false alarm like before.

What if it was a trap and Cyborg was kidnapped right now?

But he couldn't be in 2 places at once.

And he was pretty sure that whoever attacked Cyborg would have kidnapped him before he could be found if that was their goal.

And he couldn't just let crime rule their city.

His eyes went from one ride to the next, looking for the slightest movement.

But everything was still…until an explosion sounded from behind him.

He turned around and saw smoke rising from one of the rides and made his way towards the apparent fire.

His eyes rested on the sign before he went inside the smoking building.

'Funhouse'.

The smoke stopped strangely half-way and he found himself standing in a hall.

His reflections stared back at him as he looked around for the source…of the smoke.

"Where's the fire?" he wondered aloud and his voice carried through the hallway. "Slade…where are my friends?" he shouted angrily, remembering the Slade robot – the words that still rang in his ears.

"She doesn't want to see you anymore…"

The robot was here for a reason – the reason being Terra.

"What do you want from Terra?" he screamed as rage surged through him.

And suddenly he saw the reflection of a Slade minion charging at him.

Fight or flight?

And his instincts chose the first option and the Beast emerged from the green boy.

He let the robot pass him before he closed his jaws on the head.

And the head was crushed in the blink of an eye.

The remains spilled onto the floor before the rest of the robot crashed into the mirror.

He let out a cry of victory – at this newfound feeling.

He morphed back reluctantly, staring into the cracked mirror, as he tried to fight the rush that lingered inside of him.

And suddenly he wished that robot to have been Slade himself.

"What do you want from Terra?" he murmured to his reflection.

And after a short silence, a voice answered him.

"He…wants revenge."

Beast Boy turned around at hearing that voice, a mixture of anger and happiness cruising through him.

His eyes opened wide when he saw the frightened eyes staring back at him.

The cold, metallic suit contrasted starkly with the scared and helpless expression on her face.

Terra stood in front of Beast Boy.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: True Intention "Terra?"  
She remained motionless.  
"Where are my friends? What did Slade do to them?" Beast Boy asked, stepping closer to the apprentice.  
She lifted a hand and it glowed yellow, making Beast Boy stop in his tracks.  
"I-I…can't tell you. If I do…something horrible will happen," she stammered, straining to lower her hand.  
"Fight him, Terra! I know…that you are the one in control," Beast Boy said giving her an encouraging smile.  
But she didn't reward his smile. "I…can't – not this time," she murmured, her gaze falling to the floor.  
"I don't believe you!" he murmured.  
"Nobody does," she replied gloomily, her hand lifting above her head. "But I still believe in you," she heard him say and he stepped closer.  
"Stay-"  
Her cry was followed by a loud crash as a large pillar crashed through one of the mirrors.  
Beast Boy morphed into a mouse, scurrying away from the pillar that crashed through the hall.  
Terra's other hand raised as well before they lowered themselves in sudden motion and Beast Boy saw that large numbers of pebbles came at him in an attempt to stone him.  
He acted quickly and changed to a turtle, hiding his legs and head inside the sturdy shell as he was being pelted by the rain of rocks.  
He felt the pebbles increase to the size of tennis balls and he realized that it wouldn't be long until his shell would crack.  
He had to take a risk or he would lose!  
The turtle suddenly vanished, Terra trying to see where the shape-shifter had gone.  
He narrowly escaped one rock and then another before Terra noticed his movement.  
"Watch out!" Terra cried, straining to control her movements.  
The green mosquito narrowly managed to pass another incoming rock before deciding to change into something…less risky.  
A T-Rex emerged with a loud roar, charging head-on towards the ex-titan. But Terra managed to evade on a floating rock, coming up behind him.  
But the large tail managed to hit her, sending her back to the ground.  
Terra got back up, turning her hands to fists. The ground began to shake under the dinosaur before it broke, causing the large reptile to fall.  
"Beast Boy!"  
Terra stepped closer to the hole, when suddenly a falcon shot upward before charging at her with a cry.  
Terra's hands shot up at him, followed by spear-shaped rocks heading towards the falcon.  
Beast Boy managed to evade them with a few twists and turns until he reached her.  
He morphed back to human and tackled her full-force, sending both of them landing hard on the ground. Beast Boy had pinned Terra's hands at her sides, as she struggled to push him off her. But again, her face showed the opposite.  
"Terra! I know you can do it! You just have to try!" Beast Boy said, his eyes burning into hers.  
Her eyes dimmed in sadness. "I…tried."  
Rumbling sounded from beneath her and the ground under them began to crack before slowly crumbling.  
The ground gave in, causing both to fall but Beast Boy's hand found a grip and grabbed Terra's arm, both dangling in the air.  
"Don't let go! We'll be fine. Just hold on," the changeling spoke strained under the pull of gravity threatening to either drop Terra or both of them.  
Her voice was just above a whisper. "I doubt that…"  
Terra's other hand took hold of the changeling's, causing a small smile to appear on his concentrated face.  
But his smile vanished almost as fast when he felt Terra's hand slowly trying to pry off his fingers from her hand that was still in his grip.  
"T-Terra, stop! I'll get us out! Don't do this!"  
"I…shouldn't be here…"  
She pried off his index finger.  
"No, y-you should be with…us instead."  
She pried off his middle finger, causing her hand to slip slightly.  
"T-Terra, please," Beast Boy pleaded, slowly starting to lose his grip – on the rock as well as on her hand.  
"It's too late," she whispered as she worked to pry off his ring finger.  
But before she could remove it, the grip on the rock was lost, causing both to fall and Beast Boy felt Terra's hand remove itself from his.  
He remembered to morph into a hawk and flew back up, his sharp eyes trying to make out if Terra was somewhere in the dark void and hopefully unharmed.  
The darkness stared back at him.  
Terra…  
In that moment, he saw Terra standing on an upwards floating rock until they were on eye level.  
Her eyes glowed yellow and her hands lifted slowly, and the sharp eyes of the hawk noticed that the remains of the ground were floating in the air – rocks of different sizes and shapes waiting for only the wave of her hand.  
And the wave came.  
A pebble flew right towards him and he flew higher, in time to evade a bigger rock from the right.  
Another smaller one sped from the left and the hawk dropped when a rock came from below.  
For a few seconds, evading seemed to work…but he knew that he couldn't stay in the air forever. Sooner or later he would grow tired and Terra was playing at that. He had to catch the rock user off guard!  
He sped towards her and was about to turn into a tiger when a football-sized rock hit him from the right.  
But he was lucky that he fell on a small area where the floor was still intact.  
With strong headache, he managed to lift himself up. Terra stepped up to him and her hand shot out at him.  
Beast Boy ignored the pain in his head and was about to charge as Terra's same hand turned into a fist.  
And suddenly his feet felt much heavier than he last remembered.  
He saw with shock that pieces of different sized rocks attached themselves to his feet, keeping him in place.  
Beast Boy frantically struggled against this new load but realized that the rocks were surprisingly too heavy to move.  
The throbbing in his head increased, causing him to see blurred images fading in and out of focus.  
"T-Terra! I know you don't want to do this. I know that you…didn't remember and refused to…but you have to fight Slade on your own. You have…to break away from him," Beast Boy spoke in a pained voice, the toll of the fight finally starting to get to him. And suddenly Beast Boy's words from the night of her betrayal rang in her mind.  
"Slade was right! You have no friends!"  
Why was he so insistent on saving her – on trying to change her?  
"Things change, Beast Boy," she murmured and watched as his eyes widened in surprise.  
And a voice sounded in her ear. "Complete phase two!"  
Her hands dropped at her sides and Beast Boy watched as rocks began gathering around her hand until they formed something that looked like…a bat! She lifted it over her shoulder when a smirk crossed her face. "I'm sorry!"  
The last thing he saw was Terra swinging the make-shift bat against his head.  
And after that… there was only throbbing pain in complete darkness.  
His eyes slowly opened and after a few seconds of blurriness, he made out a large dimly-lit hall.  
And in the middle of the hall, he noticed a shadowy figure sitting in a make-shift chair of stone.  
"It's nice to see you again, Beast Boy," a calm voice spoke.  
Beast Boy jumped to his feet at the sound of that cruel voice. "What did you do to Terra? Where are my friends?" he shouted angrily, trying to restrain himself at attacking him.  
A low chuckle came from the other side of the hall. "Don't worry! I will make things clear after I invite some people who have the same question."  
A large computer screen flashed behind the chair, showing the shocked faces of 3 titans.  
"Cyborg!" the green teen shouted, realizing that his best friend somehow ended up captured as well as Raven and Starfire.  
They seemed to be speaking by their lip movements but no sound came out.  
The changeling's eyes glared at the figure in the chair. "What do you want?"  
The person stood up and stepped closer, revealing a black and orange mask. "Only what I deserve."  
"What do you mean? What did you do to Terra? And Robin?"  
Said people came up behind Slade, their faces void of emotion.  
Both wore their apprenticeship suits and none of them made a move to even try to interrupt Slade.  
"What are you doing? Stop him! He's got our friends!" Beast Boy shouted but when he received no answer, he charged at the masked man himself only for something to tug at his neck, causing him to fall backwards.  
He saw that he had been chained to the wall by a metal collar around his neck.  
How he hated those things!  
"Slade! Stop messing with us and tell me what you did to my friends!"  
"I'll be happy to tell you. After all, you deserve to know the truth."  
"Tell me why Cinderblock wanted that chip! Tell me why Terra works for you and destroyed Wayne Company! Tell me why Robin isn't trying to kick your butt right now!" Beast Boy screamed in rage.  
"I wouldn't expect you to know much about chips and I tell you that I was after the technology that was behind it. And while stealing the chip at Wayne Company, I decided to destroy all evidence and Terra was kind enough to do the job for me."  
"Terra? Was she the one to…kidnap Robin?" Beast Boy asked.  
"Robin was really persistent…so I decided to use a little persuasion," Slade said and Beast Boy stared at his former leader.  
"Robin! He's got nothing on us now, no explosives. Why won't you do something?"  
Robin remained still, face contorted in silent anger.  
"Fine, I'll do it on my own," Beast Boy murmured and turned into a cheetah and with some effort managed to break the chain, gaining speed as he bared his teeth.  
"And that's what I used the chip at the company for," Slade muttered as he took a little rectangular device with a red button out of his pouch.  
He pressed the button.  
A sharp, burning pain shot up the cheetah before he turned into human and screamed as large volts sped through him. But Slade's voice was drowning out his screams. "After I came in possession of that chip, Robin was kind enough to 'escape' and shut off the security system of your Tower. But I didn't count on the persistent Raven that managed to survive my apprentice and even save the Tower."  
Slade stepped closer to the screaming boy.  
"So I had to get to you another way. I found it by making Robin and Terra steal Starfire's communicator. After that it was easy to locate you."  
The shock suddenly stopped, and Beast Boy realized that he was on the floor after his sight returned to normal, cringing in pain.  
"S-slade…w-what about Terra?" His voice had become hoarse.  
"Terra…had a special mission. She was the one to bring your leader to me. But she was also able to take out your half-demon that was responsible for my earlier defeat – on a very personal level."  
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked after managing to stand up.  
Suddenly his 3 friends vanished from the screen and Terra's picture came up – Terra in her titan uniform.  
Beast Boy felt another surge of anger flowing through him – he used every weakness against them – even their friendship!  
With newfound strength, he charged at the masked villain only for electricity to zap him once more. Beast Boy clenched his teeth, trying hard to withstand the pain that caused him to cringe on the floor like a wounded dog.  
But the scream followed soon. "After Raven was taken care of, Cyborg followed not long after…and simply recharging him won't save him."  
The 3 titans were again displayed on the large screen, each with a different expression of the current situation.  
Beast Boy stood up on shaky legs. "B-but why…why is she working for you?"  
The changeling felt a smirk under the mask. "I guess you remember our little encounter – well with my robot at least," Slade said slyly, causing vivid images to flash before Beast Boy's eyes that caused a familiar growl to sound within him.  
"I destroyed it."  
"And that's why I had some…help to make my point clear."  
"You mean that white monster? I killed it."  
"And what did you find when you did?" Slade asked, his eye narrowing at the shape-shifter.  
His eyes opened wide. "You…left Terra's hairclip at the funhouse?"  
"That hairclip…I found it after Raven had defeated her father. Ironic isn't it? Raven was the one who knew about Terra's intentions when I was still alive and she was the one who revived her worst enemy."  
Beast Boy, Terra and Raven exchanged surprised glances.  
"But why?"  
"Simple. To make her have her last mission."  
"But she said she didn't remember anything. She…would never go back to you after you betrayed her."  
"Didn't I prove you wrong, Beast Boy?"  
The shape-shifter clenched his teeth and morphed into a tiger and lashed out at him, only for Terra to step between them, claws slashing through the suit in the process, leaving it torn with a few sparks flying.  
"Terra! That's…not true, is it?"  
Terra stood up and answered in a low voice. "Every word of it."  
"No! You have control over your choices and Slade can't convince me otherwise!"  
"Can't I?" the villain asked and Terra raised her hand, a stalagmite hovering over Beast Boy.  
"But…the suit – it's broken!" the shape-shifter cried in disbelief as he stared at the torn symbol across her chest, leaving black fabric underneath.  
"Silly Beast Boy. It's not the suit. The suit was granting me physical control only. I wanted more. I wanted mental control that I finally managed to use on both Terra and Robin. Robin served his purpose, having shown his gratitude towards me by now. Only Terra still lives in denial and I needed something to persuade her."  
The growl inside Beast Boy grew more vicious, eager to release itself upon the masked man in front of him.  
"You were the only one who could bring back the girl that managed to kill me. I had to prevent this and I found the perfect way – all through that silver, butterfly hairclip."  
Beast Boy closed his ears, trying to shut out Slade's taunts. "Liar! You're nothing but a liar!" he shouted.  
"So I used the chip that Cinderblock stole to my advantage…along with the hairclip Terra left behind."  
"Slade…stop it!" Beast Boy growled, his eyes darting wildly back and forth between Robin, Slade and Terra. And with an accusing tone, Slade's words lingered in the air. "The one who brought Terra and Robin to me and helped me defeat the Titans…was my 3rd and unknowing apprentice – it was you, Beast Boy!"  



	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Fight or Flight The growl inside the changeling released itself as a bestial scream before he sprinted towards the masked man, turning to the Beast mid-sprint.  
Slade managed to evade the claws that were aimed at his chest and swiped his staff at the animal.  
The Beast was hit in his side, but attempted another attack at the man's face. But Slade was quick and only received torn armor on his left arm.  
"It's quite disappointing to see you never really stand out from the group. But I guess it can't be helped," Slade taunted and evaded another dangerous slash from the vicious beast. He ducked and slammed his staff against the Beast's face, eliciting an angered growl. The Beast got back up and aimed at the man's face, reliving the moment he had the Slade minion's head in his jaws.  
And now he would make it a reality!  
Slade's thumb hovered above the rectangular device before he spoke. "You were always the weak one on their team after all."  
The red button was pressed.  
The Beast stopped in front of Slade, their faces inches apart before the animal squirmed in pain while howling.  
Robin and Terra still remained motionless watching as their friend suffered in front of their very eyes. The Beast retreated and was replaced with Beast Boy, who was unable to keep himself on his feet.  
"Should I end it?" Terra asked, the stalagmite waiting in the air for an order.  
Slade remained silent, seemingly enjoying the moment.  
Terra dropped it without a protest and turned her eyes back on the shape-shifter as he cringed and shook against the floor.  
He felt his voice slowly failing him and tried desperately to get the collar off his neck.  
His hands burned beneath the gloves as he managed to grab the collar. Beast Boy shut his eyes and with a surge of willpower tugged desperately at the collar. It didn't move so he tugged harder, while trying to keep from shaking so he could save energy for his arms.  
Images of his friends flashed before his eyes – Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Terra.  
And Robin's words rang in his ears, drowning out his own screams of pain. "There are times where you're on your own."  
Like with Slade.  
And suddenly Beast Boy felt a surge of energy flow through him and let it out onto the masked man that had his thumb still pressed against the button.  
"I'm a Teen Titan!" he screamed and in utter determination to save his friends, he managed to rip the metal collar off his neck, pieces of metal dropping to the floor.  
The buzzing remains of the collar fell from his hand. He managed to get on his knees as he tried to make out his surrounding. A blurred mask appeared before his eyes as he tried to control his shivers.  
"I have to say…you impressed me," Slade said, his voice a buzzing in the shape-shifter's ears.  
"I…will kick…y-your b-butt. And I…w-will make it…hurt," Beast Boy wheezed as he stared into the blurred mask. "Try it," Slade's taunt gave the shape-shifter enough energy to stand back up, albeit on shaky legs.  
Slade watched amused as Beast Boy gasped for air before he aimed a fist at his mask.  
Slade's palm met his fist and tightened around it.  
"And…I-I'll save my friends," the changeling gasped, his other hand turning into a fist as well.  
And suddenly he heard a nasty crack from his fist that was still in Slade's grip and screamed.  
"You're too late for that."  
Slade was surprised to see a smirk on Beast Boy's face.  
"It's just the hairclip – without it…you lost."  
"That's where you're wrong, Beast Boy! It's more than just a hairclip – it's the key to unleashing Terra's full potential. And it's the weapon that can destroy anything in its wake – including her."  
Beast Boy looked on in confusion. "It was her powers that turned her to stone."  
Rage and hate spread through the changeling as Slade's words reached his ears.  
"And since I control her will…I can destroy her…by the mere thought of it," he whispered.  
Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes as he remembered Terra before her petrification. "You…wouldn't-"  
"Beast Boy!"  
Raven's voice dimmed into the background as fast as she called his name.  
"Slade, leave Beast Boy alone!" Starfire demanded.  
"Or you have to face my cannon," Cyborg added, pointing said weapon at him.  
"It won't come to that," Slade muttered and they saw that Beast Boy turned to face them.  
There were no tears visible in his angry eyes.  
"Beast Boy? Are you alright?" Starfire asked, losing her determined composure immediately. He remained silent.  
"BB, what did Slade do to you?" Cyborg asked with worry.  
"We have to get that hairclip from Terra!" Raven said, making the 2 titans focus their attention on said person.  
Slade leaned over the green teen, trying to feed him with new impulses.  
His breath left the mask, carrying his message into the shape-shifter's ear. "Fight or Flight, Beast Boy?"  
He had to choose between friend and friend.  
But he decided to choose bad from worse. And his lips murmured: "Fight!"  
His friends watched in shock as Beast Boy charged at them and turned to a cheetah. The 3 friends scattered, letting the cheetah pass them.  
Raven immediately went after Terra who raised her hands to initiate an attack.  
"Wait, Terra," Slade's voice interrupted and she immediately dropped her hands.  
Raven raised her black hands when suddenly Starfire collided with Raven from the back, sending them to the ground. Meanwhile Cyborg was reluctant to attack his best friend who charged him in gorilla form.  
Cyborg was desperately trying to push against the gorilla that was beginning to gain the upper hand.  
"Beast Boy, snap out of it!"  
The gorilla suddenly pulled the half-robot towards him and threw him to the other side of the hall.  
Cyborg recovered and fired his cannon at the gorilla but he turned into a falcon and flew into the air.  
Beast Boy evaded the dangerous beam and changed to a wolf once he got close enough.  
And with a quick and powerful snap of his jaws, the wolf managed to rip off Cyborg's arm.  
Cyborg aimed a punch at the wolf only to come into contact with a kangaroo's feet, sending him against the wall.  
Beast Boy focused his attention on Starfire next and flew as a fly up to her.  
She heard the buzzing and turned towards the sound, when a tiger's paw slammed against her, sending her to the ground.  
She stood up and fired starbolts at the tiger but he jumped aside, switching to a mouse as he zig-zagged across the ground. Starfire shot lasers from her eyes when the mouse jumped and transformed into a monkey, attaching himself to her face.  
Starfire accidentally fired another starbolt that hit Raven full-force while she was chanting her spell to trap Terra.  
Raven collided with the ground and watched as Starfire got hit by a T-Rex's tail and crashed down opposite of her.  
Beast Boy replaced the dinosaur and approached Raven.  
Raven got up and her hands glowed black. "Beast Boy! Stop this nonsense! We have to take that hairclip!"  
"Not on my watch!" he replied almost coldly.  
He turned to a ram and charged head-on but Raven floated upwards. "I don't want to hurt you!" she said, watching as he turned to a bat and flew straight at her. "You asked for this," she said and her eyes turned white before the make-shift chair at the end of the hall floated towards him.  
The bat was hit but recovered quickly before tuning into a falcon.  
"Beast Boy! We have to save Robin and get that hairclip!" Raven shouted, anger slowly starting to get to her.  
The falcon charged at her and Raven flicked her hands…and the make-shift chair broke apart, now some rocks floating in the air.  
And Beast Boy remembered his fight with Terra.  
"Do it for Terra!" Raven cried.  
This is for Terra!  
The falcon approached her and evaded the rocks flung at him with particular ease.  
He morphed into a bear, swiping his paw against her, sending her to the ground but Raven got up quickly.  
Her eyes scanned the hall…but neither the bear nor the falcon were anywhere in sight.  
Her eyes rested on Terra.  
She had to use every opportunity!  
Raven was about to approach her when she felt something…slithering over her left foot.  
She looked in time to see a green snake bite her left leg.  
Raven's hand turned black and directed a rock from earlier at the snake, causing it to fall next to her. The snake morphed into Beast Boy who held his head.  
"You're making a mistake!" Raven shouted angrily and her eyes glowed white once more.  
"Saving Terra is not a mistake," he replied and flung himself at her.  
"Azarath, Metrion,-"  
Something was pressed against her neck and when she looked down at herself…she saw a green snake wrapping itself around her.  
"Beast…Boy! You're not saving her!" Speaking became difficult as the snake wrapped itself tighter around her.  
"You're only destroying us!" she cried and her hands glowed black.  
The scattered rocks lifted for a moment before they dropped.  
"I…can't move!" she gasped before the changeling released her.  
Raven's sight became blurry as she stared at Terra's smirking face…before she dropped to the floor.  
"Very good, Beast Boy!" Slade complemented, making the changeling shiver. "Finish them!"  
Beast Boy's eyes opened wide at those words.  
"Kill or be killed," Slade's voice carried through the hall.  
"Slade…" Robin's voice spoke for the first time since Beast Boy woke up.  
And he was glad to hear resistance in that voice. Beast Boy stepped over to Raven and lifted her, as Cyborg and Starfire slowly and unsurely approached the shape-shifter. They were weakened from the fight and didn't know if they could stand another round with the changeling.  
The changeling turned to Slade with a smirk on his face. "None of the above, Slade. I choose flight!"  



	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Titan Leader Those words were the last thing Beast Boy remembered. Beast Boy had suffered the aftereffects of the shocks received by the collar and his fight with his 3 friends and passed out as soon as the words of resistance left his mouth.  
Meanwhile the titans were walking through the sewers of Jump City, having managed to escape thanks to Cyborg's built-in flash bombs. Starfire carried Beast Boy in one arm and Raven in another, since Cyborg had only one arm left. She had just managed to get her powers back when she was imprisoned along with Cyborg and Raven, reminiscing about her time on earth – the time spent with her friends – filling her with joy but was threatening to leave again.  
Their steps felt heavy as they kicked up filthy water and tried to block out the horrible smell of something between spoiled food and…what remained of it after going through the process of digestion. They reached a fork, having the choice to either take the left or right route.  
Cyborg's red eye blinked and he took a look at his still intact arm.  
Starfire watched from behind with an uneasy feeling washing over her as she saw that he wasn't moving. "Cyborg? Which way shall we take?" she asked in a meek voice.  
"I…don't know."  
His voice sounded strained, like he had been choked. "My systems are not functioning properly, since Beast Boy's kangaroo feet seemed to have more power behind them than I thought. I can't get visuals, no GPS, nothing."  
"Maybe it is better if we would have gone back from above the ground?" Starfire wondered.  
"That's not a good idea, Starfire. I would have done that from the moment we stepped out of the funhouse but-"  
His communicator beeped, startling them.  
Cyborg's expression turned to anxiety when he turned it on. An orange and black mask appeared on the screen. "You can run as much as you like, but you won't be able to escape your fate."  
"Your encounter with Trigon should have convinced you that we don't believe in pre-destined fate, Slade," Cyborg replied, clutching the communicator in anger.  
"You will come to me, either by fate or by will."  
Cyborg turned it off and turned his gaze towards Starfire who had a worried expression on her face. "Star…destroy Raven's and Beast Boy's communicator," Cyborg commanded, making her look at him in confusion.  
"But what if we decide to do the splitting up?" she asked.  
"We won't do that. A one on one fight is too dangerous in this condition. And you can't fight while carrying them around," Cyborg said, pointing at Raven and Beast Boy. "We'll stay together and with no communicators to track us, Slade won't catch up to us anytime soon."  
She nodded reluctantly, searching Raven and Beast Boy for their communicators and destroyed them by firing laser from her eyes. Cyborg did the same with his communicator, using his cannon instead.  
"And do you know which way to take?" she asked, looking from one tunnel to the next.  
"No. We'll just have to hope that one of them leads back to the tower."  
Hope – that was something they needed in this dire situation.  
Meanwhile Robin noticed that the red dots that were blinking just a moment ago, disappeared from Starfire's communicator.  
He was just reaching the exit of the Theme Park and stopped.  
Terra kept walking. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you lost them?"  
"I lost their signal," the boy wonder replied, making her turn around.  
"But we didn't lose them," she said, her eyes studying him for a reaction.  
"Didn't we?"  
"After running for a long time, confused and hurt…where would you like to turn to?" she replied, her gaze shifting to the floor.  
And suddenly he saw a broken, lost girl standing in front of him instead of the arrogant and proud apprentice.  
"Home," Robin murmured, the word suddenly sounding foreign in his ears.  
She turned away before the word even left his mouth. Her steps had quickened and he felt the arrogance return to her. But it seemed as if…she was eager to reach Titans Tower – as if she wanted to go back.  
He followed her and murmured something that he hoped would make her think about her situation she was in. "You know…there is always a place for you with us."  
Her voice was cold when she replied to him. "If you ran away from home…then there is no place for someone like me."  
"I do this to protect it."  
"Too bad I destroyed mine a long time ago," her voice was cold, yet with a hint of regret.  
She didn't yet – the regret in her voice was proof of that. After walking through more filthy water, Starfire and Cyborg finally reached their Tower.  
Starfire placed Beast Boy and Raven in their respective rooms and her eyes lingered on the half-demon as she watched the sweat on her face trickle like raindrops on a windowpane.  
She placed a hand tenderly on her friend's cheek and gasped at the alarming temperature it generated.  
Was she, perhaps, having a fever? Being left alone after Cyborg went to replace his missing arm and recharge, she felt tears tugging at the corners of her eyes.  
Was Raven…going to perish from the poison?  
She turned away with tears in her eyes, floating out of the room when she bumped into Cyborg.  
"C-Cyborg?" she stammered and quickly wiped her tears away.  
"Star…are you alright?" Cyborg asked concerned.  
"I am well, Cyborg," she replied, glancing at his replaced arm.  
Her voice sounded strained.  
"Raven will be alright."  
Starfire's eyes opened wide before she smiled at Cyborg. "I do hope so." She watched him walk towards his room before she floated to her own room.  
Silkie was patiently waiting for her in front of her door, hungry and bored.  
"Oh, Silkie. What would you do if you were in the same predicament as me?" she cried and knelt down to the mutant larva.  
Silkie had surprisingly moved away from her when she moved close, causing Starfire to look at herself when she suddenly noticed a horrible stench coming from her.  
A small smile graced her lips. "You are right! First I have to be in the best condition possible before saving our friends. And I am certain you would feel delighted to have a bath too. But first let me give you some of the left-overs," Starfire smiled at her pet.  
Silkie faced her again, almost as if he understood the word 'left-overs'.  
The moon appeared from behind the clouds, casting silver light upon Titan Tower.  
A certain shape-shifter slowly woke from his sleep, still feeling light-headed.  
"Where am I?" he mumbled sleepy when he noticed some of his laundry sprawled around the room. "What? How…did I get here?" he wondered, while holding his head that began to hurt slightly.  
He was surprised to hear his voice having a deeper tone than usual. "Dude! Weird," he croaked.  
Why did his voice sound like he had just won a screaming contest?  
He swallowed and it hurt. Maybe drinking some water might help.  
So, the changeling went over to kitchen when he suddenly remembered why his voice sounded throaty.  
The kitchen was still lying in destruction and he dashed to find his other team members.  
He stopped in front of Raven's room, a heavy feeling rushing through him.  
Could he even face them after he had chosen to attack them?  
"Raven?" he murmured.  
But everything remained still.  
"Are you…mad at me?" he asked from behind the door.  
The silence answered him again.  
"I just hope she won't kill me," he mumbled and entered her room.  
Her room was dark and her curtains were drawn.  
Beast Boy saw her lying on her bed, the covers hanging from the side of her bed.  
She turned slightly, kicking the cover further so it now only covered her legs.  
He stepped closer to her bed, unsure why he even came to her. The changeling suddenly saw her red cheeks and the sweat that had gathered on her forehead.  
She turned to the other side, giving out a low whimpering sound.  
His heart suddenly felt as if it had been filled with millions of stones. "Raven?" he murmured sadly but the lump in his throat prevented him from saying anything else.  
Why did he have to bite her?  
And why did he think that Slade would keep Terra alive after his friends were beaten? Who was to say that he wouldn't use Terra to conquer Jump City?  
He had done it once – and he could do it again…and destroy the Titans and Terra in the process.  
His hands turned to fists, realizing that he was only a pet for Slade to play with – he was only a tool in Slade's game.  
But exactly what was his game?  
Whatever it was – it made him hurt his friends…willingly.  
"I'm such an idiot," the shape-shifter murmured as he watched Raven's feverous face. "I'm sorry. Maybe…I should have listened to you. Maybe Terra…changed," he murmured in sadness, hearing her words she told him before she turned away from him forever. "Things change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory."  
"But I promise, I will do things right from now on." He closed his eyes, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I'm so sorry…"  
"Don't be."  
His eyes snapped open at the voice that came from behind him.  
Starfire approached the sleeping Raven and placed a wet towel on her burning forehead.  
"But Star-"  
"You were confused. You were placed in a condition not even the wisest warriors could escape from."  
Raven's face relaxed slightly. "But…she-"  
"She will be fine, Beast Boy! The fever will eventually fade," Starfire smiled at him before looking tenderly at her best friend.  
Beast Boy stared silently at the half-demon, hoping that Starfire's words were true.  
"Guys! There's trouble!"  
They turned to the sound of the voice and realized it was Cyborg.  
His determination crumbled, still seeing Raven in feverish sleep.  
"Maybe…we should skip crime-fighting for tonight," he mumbled but only received silence.  
They hung their heads in sadness.  
"Don't tell me you're going to stand here until morning?"  
They turned to the sound of the voice and all broke out in huge smiles after getting over their initial shock.  
Raven sat up in bed, her voice still a bit raspy.  
"Ra..ven?"  
She turned to the shape-shifter who tried to stop the tears that were close to spilling. "I'm…"  
"Don't waste your breath. I heard you loud and clear the first time," she replied, hoping to calm the shape-shifter before he turned into a cry-baby.  
She watched amused as his face turned to utter shock and embarrassment. "I-I wasn't about to cry…or something like that," he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"I know you weren't," she replied sarcastically. "And…dare I say it, you chose wisely in your situation. And you shouldn't be sorry about the choices you made – except that you went a little overboard with your last attack," Raven mumbled, before the shape-shifter grinned happily and apologetically at her. "Are you sure you're ready to go?" Cyborg asked her.  
As an answer she floated off her bed and out of the room. "Does this answer your question?"  
"I think it does," Cyborg answered uncertainly.  
They were at the power plant, guessing that Overload might have escaped again. But he was nowhere in sight.  
"Are you sure that this is the location of the crime?" Starfire asked.  
"The mainframe computer located disturbances in voltage levels originating from here. So I guess this is the place," Cyborg answered and their eyes scanned the area.  
A few of the generators were shut off while others were damaged but the criminal responsible for this was missing.  
At least that was how it seemed.  
"What if this is…a false alarm?" Raven asked and the others turned to her.  
"And for what would they fake an alarm? Just to annoy us?" Beast Boy asked.  
"Maybe to trick us," she replied.  
"For what purpose?" Starfire asked confused.  
"You mean…that Slade could be behind this?" Cyborg asked.  
"It's possible," she replied grimly. "And what do we do if it is so?" Starfire asked, hovering in the air and checking her surrounding once more.  
They glanced at Cyborg who got a nervous look. "Why're you all looking at me?"  
"If it wouldn't be for you…we wouldn't be here right now," Raven replied.  
"I agree. Your quick thinking saved us from Slade," Starfire added.  
"And aside from Raven, most of the time…you kind of keep a cool head if things get too serious," Beast Boy joined in, making the half-robot smile with pride.  
"So you mean…"  
"…you can lead us," Raven replied.  
Cyborg glanced at the others and received encouraging smiles from the rest of the team – his team.  
Starfire's smile vanished when she noticed something in front of them – a bird-a-rang.  
"Look out!" Raven shouted and she encased them in a dark ball before the bird-a-rand exploded, scattering pieces of the ground into the air.  
They stared into the smoke that was clearing slowly before the black ball disappeared.  
And they stared in shock as a familiar figure stood before them.  
It was Robin who had a hard expression on his face.  
"Rob, why are you still following Slade's orders? We're your friends," Cyborg said, trying to reach out to him.  
"You were his friends."  
Someone stepped next to him – Terra.  
Cyborg saw the butterfly hairclip glinting in the moonlight.  
"We know it's because of that hairclip. And we can get it from her. So why won't you help us, Robin?" the robot asked.  
As an answer, Robin pulled out 3 discs from his pouch while Terra lifted part of the broken ground that lay in front of the 4 titans. "But you should know, I'm just as stubborn as you," Cyborg smirked at his former leader. "And we will do anything to get that hairclip back – even if it means fighting you!"  
The 3 titans behind him placed themselves in fighting positions.  
Pointing his finger at their former leader and former teammate, he initiated the battle with Robin's battle cry. "Titans, go!"  



	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Butterfly Hairclip Raven and Starfire went for Terra while Cyborg and Beast Boy charged at Robin.  
The rock flew at the two girls and Starfire broke it with her laser. Unfortunately, the remains continued to charge at her and Raven formed a shield to protect them.  
Raven lifted a generator and flung it at her when she stepped on an elevated piece of rock and evaded it.  
Starfire fired a few starbolts but Terra countered with rocks when a green laser shot straight at her.  
Terra was quick and formed a rock wall before the laser reached her.  
She moved her hands, as two spear-like rocks flew at Starfire.  
She evaded the first one and shot the second one with her laser but didn't see Terra coming up to her and sending her to the ground with a rock-enhanced punch.  
"Behind you!"  
Terra looked around only to see a generator slamming into her but caught herself in time to evade a car flying her way.  
Terra's hands shot up at the half-demon, sending soccer ball-sized rocks at her. Raven evaded them with ease before part of the side-walk slammed into her, sending her into the ground. Starfire flew back up to the rock-user, firing more starbolts at her. Terra evaded the first few while approaching her and Starfire shot out her lasers only for the shield to form in front of the ex-titan again.  
The shield disappeared only for fist-shaped rocks to fly from behind them, hitting Starfire head on.  
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." Terra turned around to see the previously used piece of sidewalk fly towards her. She jumped from her floating rock as the two objects collided and sent a hard punch towards the half-demon, causing her to fall.  
Meanwhile Beast Boy managed to evade the first 2 discs flung at him while Cyborg destroyed the 3rd one with a rocket that shot out from a compartment in his shoulder.  
Beast Boy transformed into a wolf and jumped at the ex-leader who side-stepped him and managed to kick the animal away.  
Robin turned around to see a fist flying his way that sent him into the air but Robin quickly caught himself and fired an explosive pellet.  
Cyborg fired his laser at the incoming weapon, destroying it in mid-air. He stared into the smoke when a bird-a-rang landed in front his feet. "I hate these things," the half-robot cried and turned to flee when the explosion sent him tumbling across the ground. Robin stepped out of the smoke when suddenly a gorilla came up behind him and slammed his powerful hands at him, sending him flying towards the half-robot. Robin fired a smoke ball in mid-air, blinding all the male titans.  
"I've got no time to play hide and seek," Cyborg shouted into the smoke and activated his thermal sensors when suddenly something slashed at him from behind. He turned around only for a fist to send him flying towards his best friend.  
"Cy! That was a wrong move, Robin," Beast Boy shouted at the clearing smoke.  
Robin came charging out of the smoke and fired a flash pellet, blinding the shape-shifter.  
"I'm not blind, dude."  
Beast Boy turned to a bat, being able to hear Robin's movement by emitting ultrasound waves.  
He came from the right and Beast Boy turned to a ram, before hitting his former teammate full-force.  
Robin caught himself and fired his grappling hook at the ram and with the press of a button, pulled the struggling animal towards him.  
The ram twisted and shook his head wildly before turning into a housefly, escaping the trap.  
Hovering above his friend, the fly turned into an elephant before dropping but Robin jumped to safety. The elephant disappeared and was replaced by a bull who charged head-on. Robin evaded with a skillful turn and used his grappling hook to trip the animal and tying its legs.  
He turned around only to come face to face with another fist that slammed into his face. After managing to stand up, Robin pulled out his Bo staff. Cyborg charged with another punch but Robin managed to block it and swiped at the robot's legs.  
He lifted the staff for a critical damage – his head. Suddenly something flung itself on his back – a green monkey.  
Robin turned around and managed to grab the tail and flung the animal into the ground before Beast Boy replaced it.  
The green teen evaded a hit from Robin's staff and aimed a fist into the ex-leader's face only for Robin to grab it.  
"Only because you're forced to work for Slade doesn't mean you're alone, Robin," the changeling said, hoping to change his friend's mind.  
"It's not because I'm alone, Beast Boy," Robin replied seriously and Beast Boy felt Robin's fist meet his stomach in a very painful manner, before his foot slammed into the green teen's face.  
Robin turned to Cyborg only to come face to face with a white beam aimed for him.  
He ducked in the last moment before firing a flash pellet, blinding the half-robot and shape-shifter.  
Unfortunately, the beam was headed straight for Starfire who had evaded another rock-spear from Terra.  
Raven saw the incoming beam and pushed her out of the way before managing to form a shield to protect her.  
"Cyborg!" Raven called confused and a bit annoyed at the recklessness of their new leader.  
"Star! BB!"  
His voice came from somewhere inside the bright light that covered most of the power plant. "Switch!"  
The respective titans' expressions turned to surprise for a moment before they switched sides.  
Robin lifted his left arm, feeling the load tugging at his wrist. He was told to use it – so they would have a higher chance at winning.  
"If you want things not to turn…disastrous, use it, Robin!" a voice spoke inside his ear.  
He aimed his fist at the position of the titan's new leader.  
The blinding light disappeared…and in front of him stood Starfire, a green starbolt aimed at him.  
"Star…get out of the way," he said, the thermal blaster still aimed at her.  
"If you are truly evil…then shoot at me!"  
His face turned hard. "If you don't move…you will get hurt," he replied, the tip of the blaster that was tied around his wrist, turning red.  
"And if you fire…I will not hesitate to attack," Starfire replied back, her eyes glowing a dangerous green. Raven's shield broke under the pressure of Cyborg's beam, causing her to fall to the hard ground.  
Footsteps neared her and she saw that the rock-user approached her. "What hurts the most? That I'm better at controlling my powers than you?"  
Raven's vision flashed before her eyes.  
"Or the fact that, deep down you really thought I was your friend?"  
Terra had a smirk on her face as she raised her arm. A stalagmite hovered above the half-demon.  
Raven closed her eyes…as sadness seeped into her. "No, it was the fact…that we were so similar. I…saw myself…in you," she whispered, but doubted that her words reached her ears.  
Raven felt tears making their way into her eyes but as she opened her eyes and saw the surprised expression on Terra's face, they retreated back into a dark corner.  
Was she having…doubts?  
Whatever it was she was having…the smirk that appeared on her lips erased any trace that was left.  
"Then you should understand if our paths end this way," she sneered, ready to drop her hand.  
And in that moment, Raven noticed movement in the corner of her eyes.  
Terra felt something slam against her.  
Her blue eyes met green ones.  
Hands wrapped themselves around her waist, as if trying to stop her from moving.  
"Terra! I know you have control."  
She stared coldly into the face of Beast Boy.  
"I lost it the moment I met you," she murmured as if in defeat. He chuckled lightly before he retorted with a smile. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't believe your lies?"  
"Will this make you believe my true words?" she whispered and her hand turned slightly.  
The stalagmite turned as well…and was now pointed at Beast Boy and Terra!  
"They are not your words – they are Slade's! I know you can change!"  
Terra's eyes moved in recognition at these words – at her words.  
Things change…  
Neither Robin nor Starfire made an attempt to attack.  
Until Robin heard the voice in his ear speak once more. "Use it, Robin!"  
His words were just above a whisper. "I'm sorry!"  
He fired the blaster when Starfire shot a starbolt shortly afterwards. Green met red, before an explosion rocked half of the power plant, causing most of the generators to stop functioning.  
"I…did change," Terra murmured, taking no notion of the explosion that occurred to her left.  
"And that's why I know you won't lose control this time," Beast Boy replied with a sincere smile.  
"Prove him otherwise, my apprentice," a cold voice spoke in her ear.  
Her hand that was in the air began to shake, as if an invisible force was struggling against it.  
"That's it, Terra! Fight for control," the changeling encouraged her.  
"I…can't," she cried and closed her eyes.  
Raven floated up towards the two titans…when she saw Robin using his grappling hook to lift himself into the air.  
He fired a disc towards her, which she evaded.  
But she was taken by surprise when the disc burst into a blinding, white light.  
"I'm sorry…" Terra whispered…and her hand dropped.  
"It's ok."  
They braced for the inevitable. 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Control "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"  
Beast Boy and Terra suddenly found themselves enclosed in a black shield as the stalagmite dropped towards them.  
It cracked when meeting the shield before it crumbled. Raven's shield crumbled soon after it and Raven dropped to her knees.  
Beast Boy opened his eyes only to stare into Terra's glowing ones.  
"Terra! You did it!" he cried as her hands dropped to her sides.  
"You failed me, apprentice. But I've got the perfect punishment for you," Slade's voice carried into her ear.  
With a powerful push, Beast Boy fell to the ground and watched in confusion as Terra's hands made their way to her head, her fingers scratching against her scalp.  
"N-No! I-I'll…kill…you."  
Beast Boy stood up, alarmed at how Terra seemed to be struggling with herself.  
Her hands began to glow yellow as her protests began to sound more desperate. "G-get…away from me! Get…o-out of…m-my head!"  
"We have to get that hairclip!" Raven cried and Starfire and Cyborg joined her.  
"We have to stop Slade!" Starfire said determinedly.  
In that moment the ground began to shake and cracks began to form under them before pieces of the ground floated into the air.  
The pieces slowly spun around the still kneeling Terra.  
"Leave…me…alone!" Terra let her frustration out in an angered scream, causing the ground under her to break.  
The generators tilted before one by one, they disappeared beneath the cracks that began to increase in size.  
The ground under the 4 titans began to tilt while slowly crumbling.  
Starfire lifted Cyborg who aimed his cannon at the rock that caused Terra to stay afloat.  
But something caught his eye. There were many little dots in the sky and they seemed to come closer.  
"Cyborg, wait!" Raven's alarmed voice startled them. She floated up to them, as more ground of the power plant tilted and began sinking.  
Fear overtook them when they realized what came charging from the sky.  
Hundreds of deadly pillars, flying towards the whole power plant station at high speed.  
Raven flew in front of them and spread her arms so they covered them all. A black ball formed around them.  
Raven's eyes opened in shock when she noticed the youngest member slip through an opening before the ball closed around them. "Beast Boy!" she shouted as she watched a green hawk fly up towards the approaching pillars.  
The hawk twisted and turned out of the pillars' way, many times having his feathers brushed at the closeness of collision.  
Raven's shield began to crack as soon as the first pillar came crashing down on it. "Raven?" Starfire looked for comfort in the already struggling half-demon.  
"Anybody got a plan?" Cyborg asked fearfully.  
Raven clenched her teeth in concentration, as gradually more cracks lined her shield.  
Terra's hands moved again, large boulders replacing the pillars and Beast Boy turned into a hummingbird as he reached closer to her.  
Terra floated higher as her hand moved again, causing some of the pillars that were still flying downwards to change direction and fly back up.  
"No matter how skilled you are, no animal has eyes in the back of their head," Terra smirked, watching as the pillars approached the shape-shifter from behind.  
With luck, Beast Boy saw a pillar pass him from below, unaware that another one was headed straight at him only an arm's length away…  
Suddenly he felt an explosion behind him, remains of what used to be a boulder scattering in front of him, before a white beam shot from the right, causing more pieces of rock to fly into the air.  
For a few seconds, green and white light danced around him, as Terra's figure loomed ever closer to him.  
Terra frowned down at the interruption – Cyborg and Starfire shooting at her lethal weapons from gaps beneath the black shield.  
"I…won't let anyone stop me," she said determinedly and her left hand pointed towards them before slowly lifting.  
The ground under them suddenly began to shake even more, before the 3 titans saw with horror that…the ground began sinking.  
Red lava seeped to the surface, slowly spreading around the power plant station.  
"We have to stop her…before the whole city will be covered in lava," Cyborg said, firing another beam at a pillar that was aimed at his best friend.  
"How can we?" Raven cried, as the rain of rocks continued to slam against her now fragile shield.  
They couldn't stay behind her shield forever. The shied will break sooner or later and they will eventually get hit by the onslaught…and drop into the deadly inferno.  
All they could do now is hope…that Terra was still somewhere inside that apprentice.  
Beast Boy evaded another pillar, before he saw them changing shape and align next to each other to form a wall.  
And with the wave of a hand the large make-shift wall dropped towards him. He would get crushed if he didn't do something now.  
Suddenly his eyes made out a small gap in the wall to his far right.  
He turned right and just before the wall maimed him, he morphed into…a butterfly!  
Terra's face turned to surprise when she saw the green butterfly emerge from her wall, before attaching himself on her floating rock as a green spider.  
But he morphed back to human and jumped away, just in time to evade a boulder that collided with the floating rock, both objects breaking in the process.  
The changeling spread his arms to morph once more into a hawk when his hand hit hard ground. Instinctively, he held onto the grip he found when he heard a cruel voice from above.  
"It hurts, doesn't it?"  
Beast Boy looked up to see Terra standing on the rock he was holding onto. "It hurts to realize that you're all alone in this world – that you're the reason nobody trusts you." Beast Boy's eyes opened wide in realization as he remembered the heart-shaped-box with her hairclip inside.  
She was right – he was the reason Terra was about to destroy the city.  
"And it hurts to know that you have no friends…"  
Regret spread through the shape-shifter as his own words rang in his ears. "Slade was right! You have no friends…"  
Was this the reason…he couldn't seem to reach her?  
Were those words the reason for her hatred?  
Was this Terra staring down at him full of hatred – or Slade?  
"Finally you will know how I felt when you told me those horrible words that night," she whispered before a rock slammed against his hand, causing him to cry out in pain before the grip was lost and he fell.  
In pure horror, he saw that the magma had spread onto the street, having already covered the whole power plant.  
And his friends were above the red liquid, the boulders sending them one more step closer to their death – just like with him.  
Beast Boy suddenly landed on something hard. After he got to his feet, he realized that he was standing on the rock he fell from just moments ago.  
"Terra? Why…did you…save me? Did…you break free?" he asked confused.  
A smirk crossed her face, her eyes burning into his. "No. I want to…finish you with my own hands…and I will…watch you…live your last moments," she spoke with arrogance.  
But why did she sound…like she had doubts?  
Was she…probably still fighting for control?  
Her eyes glowed yellow before her body glowed as well.  
"Get…out…of…my…life!" Terra cried angrily, before her hands shot upwards.  
Streets and buildings began to shake before they began to crumble and the remains began to float around Terra in swirling motion.  
More and more structures broke apart as Terra's hair began flow around her. And suddenly something inside the shape-shifter protested against her actions.  
But he knew that he had to suppress the Beast that was about to put an abrupt end to the destruction.  
If he showed her that control was possible…maybe he could save her.  
His hands turned to fists as he felt cracks appear under their feet, threatening to break the rock apart.  
He shut his eyes, trying to will the Beast back inside his cage. Beast Boy realized that his willpower seemed to fail him this time, however.  
It was the moment he heard her voice.  
"I will destroy you…"  
His eyes snapped open, feeling his control slipping away.  
But her face brought it back as soon as it left.  
It was her cruel smirk…and the tears that had filled her eyes.  
And he realized that Terra was still inside that girl – he only had to get her out.  
His hands took hers and lowered them as he stared determinedly into her face.  
Her hands turned to fists, the cracks under them deepening.  
The tears began to roll down her cheeks as the rock they were standing on began to crumble.  
He smiled at her. "Call me crazy…but even if you would destroy the city…and kill us…I would still trust you."  
A pillar formed above the floating rock.  
"Because you always had good intentions," he murmured and leaned into her face, the night of her betrayal flashing in his mind.  
And he realized that the reason she accepted to go out on the date…was because she wanted to save him from her lies…and to come clean.  
He kissed her and slipped his hand into her hair that had stopped flowing.  
The yellow glow from her eyes faded as she felt his hand brush against the hairclip fastened in her hair.  
Her hands shot up but with a quick tug…the hairclip was in his possession.  
Beast Boy let go of her and with a proud grin showed her the butterfly hairclip.  
And in that moment…the rock broke apart, dropping Terra and Beast Boy.  
Raven closed her eyes under the pressure before her shield broke as it collided with a large boulder. The half-demon dropped after using all her energy to keep the shield stable and watched in horror as she approached the red, hot magma.  
Raven closed her eyes.  
And she landed on something hard.  
When she opened her eyes…she saw that all the magma had dried and the rocks that had been floating were lying around her.  
Starfire looked to see what caused this miracle.  
And not far from her, she saw Beast Boy kneeling next to an unconscious Terra – the butterfly hairclip no longer in her hair.  



	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Home "I know you still have trouble controlling your powers…"  
"You have no friends…"  
"Things change…"  
Voices whispered in the darkness, taunting her – mocking her.  
Her hands reached towards her ears, trying to block out the torment. Why was she here?  
Shouldn't she have fallen to her doom – drowning in her own power?  
"Why am I here?" she wondered aloud, her voice void of emotion.  
"You are here…to destroy…"  
The voice seeped into her ears, its icy tone sending chills down her spine.  
"No! You…have no…control over me anymore!" the girl cried, her hands driving through her hair.  
Relief spread through her when no hairclip was found.  
"Silly Terra! It's not the hairclip that's controlling you."  
And in pure horror, the troubled girl stared at her shivering hands that moved against her will, turning into fists.  
And the darkness around her began cracking and crumbled…to reveal a black and orange mask.  
"It's your powers controlling you."  
The mask cracked and crumbled as the girl screamed in utter despair and fear.  
Terra's head shot up as she continued to scream.  
She stopped immediately when she realized that she was not in school. Her eyes opened wide, when realizing that she was no longer dreaming. This was a familiar place.  
She stood up from the bed and went out of the room she had been placed in. Terra moved along the hallway, glancing from one room to the next as images of certain heroes flashed through her mind.  
The girl closed her eyes, fear attacking her again. She had to escape! She couldn't face them – let alone face herself.  
Her steps quickened until she was running frantically through the large mansion, her eyes searching desperately for the exit.  
If only she could stop the tears – what if she ran into one of them?  
What if they wouldn't let her go?  
Terra shivered at that thought, unaware that they were still resting from their wounds – wounds that she and Robin inflicted to them…  
Meanwhile said ex-leader returned to the mastermind's lair, a torrent of emotions swirling inside of him after witnessing the destruction of the power plant at Terra's hands.  
His mind drifted to the former titan – did she destroy his friends?  
Was she destroyed?  
He stepped into a hall, the troubling thoughts drifting into the background.  
Slade sat on a step, face hidden in shadow and watched his apprentice step closer. Robin stopped in front of his mentor, trying to restrain his confusing emotions when suddenly Slade spoke. "I haven't told you to return yet."  
"Did you want to see me rather die in lava?" Robin murmured.  
And before he could have blinked, Slade's fist sent Robin towards the floor. "But I didn't tell you to come back without her," Slade replied, staring him down.  
"Terra…was about to destroy the city. How could I have stopped her?" Robin's voice rose slightly before it lowered again.  
"I didn't expect you to do that. Someone else did instead…and I'm not pleased."  
"So you just watch her destroy the city?" Robin's anger was starting to make itself evident in his voice.  
"No, Robin! Only watch her destroy my biggest threat."  
Robin looked on in confusion as he got back up on his feet.  
"The only one who could bring Terra back…"  
Robin's eyes widened in realization and sent a fist Slade's way.  
Slade side-stepped and took hold of the fist and leaned closer to his apprentice. "And whatever you try to do…you know nothing can stop the inevitable end."  
Hatred spread through Robin like wildfire and he threw his other fist at the man before Slade moved away.  
The fist in Slade's palm quickly twisted to an unnatural position, causing Robin to kneel and cry in pain.  
"But it's always nice to see resistance from my apprentice. That makes sure you will do anything for me…even if it goes against your morals."  
Arrogance and pride filled Slade's voice, causing Robin to shudder from anger.  
"You won't have me as your tool, Slade. I…will find a way to stop you."  
The ex-titan stood back up and charged once more in determination but Slade was just as quick and evaded the kick sent for his chest.  
Slade side-stepped another fist aimed for him before pulling Robin on his arm. And with a quick thrust, Robin staggered forward as Slade's fist collided with his stomach before the other fist sent him back to the floor.  
"You know better than anyone…that you can't escape this time," Slade muttered and watched in amusement as Robin narrowed his eyes at him. "And this time…eliminate anyone who poses a threat."  
Robin clenched his teeth in utter rage.  
Jump City received its first rays of sunlight.  
A certain tower for superheroes also received some of it, gradually waking a half-demon.  
Raven blinked before her eyes opened slowly but fully. With a yawn, she floated off her bed and towards the kitchen. She was surprised however to see the kitchen in perfect condition. The ceiling was back in place, the fridge standing in the corner, ready to be emptied and Raven even noticed that the floor was wiped clean and the dishes were washed too.  
"Cyborg…" she murmured.  
"I have also helped in the cleaning of the kitchen."  
Raven spun around to came face to face with Starfire holding Silkie in her arms. "What…are you doing here?"  
Starfire smiled at the female titan. "I was just preparing a traditional Tamaranian dish of victory. It is something we call-"  
"And the wall?" Raven interrupted, not interested in Tamaranian cuisine.  
"Just like new," a voice boomed to her right.  
Cyborg grinned proudly at her while Raven tried to calm her nerves.  
Why did they have to sneak up on her?  
"Could you walk as loud as you brag next time?" she retorted annoyed.  
Cyborg frowned at her, having expected a 'thank you' instead.  
"Shall I call Beast Boy and Terra to join us for breakfast?" Starfire asked, impatient to display her dish.  
Raven looked out the window and when she saw the sun having fully risen from behind the horizon, she nodded approvingly.  
Starfire floated out of the kitchen and knocked on Beast Boy's door. "Beast Boy, let us commence with the breakfast."  
She waited a short while before she let herself in. Beast Boy was sleeping sprawled upside down on his bed, his mouth hanging open while emitting low snoring sounds.  
"Beast Boy! Please wake up! The sun is already in the sky."  
His eyes didn't open.  
"Then let me sing you a good Tamaranian morning song that would wake up even the most heavy of sleepers."  
Starfire drew in a sharp breath and let it out in a loud, screeching howl that resembled more of chalk scratching on blackboard than singing. "We're under attack! Titans, go!" Beast Boy shouted alarmed before he fell off his bed. "Star? Have you ever heard of something called beauty sleep?"  
"I have enough knowledge to know that it is strange for earth males to engage in beauty sleep."  
"I don't care about your knowledge! I care about resting my heavy eyelids."  
Starfire floated towards his door. "So you will not wake Terra and see if she would like to have some of the breakfast?"  
The changeling got to his feet at the mention of her name and rushed to the room she was sleeping in.  
He stopped when he saw that the door was open. Was she…already awake…or was she probably…?  
The shape-shifter opened the door more so he could fit through.  
His heart had sped up its beating, hoping that she was awake – that she was still alive.  
His eyes opened wide when he was faced with an empty bed.  
"Terra?"  
The bed made no sound.  
The changeling turned around only to come face to face with Raven, Starfire and Cyborg.  
"She…she's gone! I have to find her!" he shouted frantically and moved to push past them only for Raven's hand to land on his shoulder. "Raven! What if Slade-"  
"You're not finding her!"  
The changeling stared angrily at the half-demon.  
"We all are."  
His expression turned to surprise. "So…you're not trying to stop me?"  
"No way, man! She might be the only connection we have to Robin," Cyborg said with an encouraging smile.  
"And we can't Slade get to her. There might be a chance that he would want her back…or that we need her to get through Robin."  
Raven's words sent hope through the shape-shifter.  
Beast Boy placed a hand on her shoulder and returned the kindness. "Alright! Let's try to bring Terra back home!"  
They turned around to start their search.  
"For one last time…"  



	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: A forced choice The 4 titans rushed out of the tower and decided to split their search, Beast Boy giving directions to all the places Terra has visited while she was still a titan, in the hope that she might be in one of said locations.  
"Raven, you go check out the school and see if anyone has seen or heard from her. Get as much news out from them as you can." Raven suppressed a smirk. She was about to ask if any method was applicable but knew that the changeling would reject this idea and she knew that public places were not a good idea to start with from the beginning.  
But they had to find her as fast as possible.  
"Cyborg, go to the pizza parlor," Beast Boy said while a certain memory from a few weeks passed before his eyes.  
He turned to Starfire, the memory vanishing quickly. "And Star, check out the coffee shop south from here."  
Another memory played in his mind but Raven's words brought him back to reality.  
"Where will you go?" she asked, concern hidden in the tone of her voice.  
A short silence and the 3 titans noticed a troubled expression on his face.  
"I'll…go to the Theme Park."  
And he remembered Terra and him sitting in the Ferris wheel…before Slade destroyed Terra's attempt to tell him the truth.  
"Do you have any idea what you are saying?" Cyborg said, not believing his ears. "That's right under Slade's nose!"  
"So what?"  
The changeling's words surprised the half-robot. "Slade could be after us no matter where we are. He might even be right now. So stop wasting time and get going already."  
"And what if he gets to you?" Raven asked, trying to make it sound like a normal question.  
The changeling grinned at her as if he could hear the hint of worry that slipped into her voice.  
He pulled something out of his pocket and Cyborg grinned with him.  
"Oh, how did you manage to retrieve those?" Starfire asked, seeing a familiar yellow device with a T symbol on it.  
"Not a problem – if you have a computer freak on the team," Beast Boy bragged, causing Cyborg to glare annoyed at him for a moment before he explained himself.  
"While you were all sleeping, I decided to work on making these so we don't have to stick together all the time."  
"And what if Slade tracks us?" Raven asked, wondering if Cyborg even 'slept' at all.  
"He probably shouldn't have much luck with that. I changed the frequency of transmission so when he tries to locate us, he will find no device to connect to."  
"And since our communicators all have the new frequency, we will be the only ones that can have a connection?" Raven asked, secretly happy that they did have a computer freak on the team.  
"That's right!"  
Starfire stared at the yellow device after it has been passed into her hand and remembered the time when Robin assumed the identity of Red X, trying to get to Slade.  
And she remembered the hologram in his room.  
Her hand clutched the communicator as if it was about to be stolen.  
It would be only be a matter of time until Robin found the right frequency – after all, he was almost as knowledgeable on technology as Cyborg.  
"And if anything comes up, just call," Beast Boy added before he turned away.  
With that, they split, heading to their assigned area.  
The first to reach his destination was Cyborg. His eyes scanned the tables but except for some boys and 2 couples, nobody else was there.  
He asked the cashier and the customers but they told him that they haven't seen a person like he described.  
Starfire also reached her assigned area and entered the dimly-lit coffee shop. All but one table was empty since it was noon. She watched the rather old man sip on his milkshake before she turned to the waitress and cashier but just like with Cyborg, they said that they didn't see her although the cashier remembered her.  
"Do you know perhaps when was the last time she came here?" Starfire asked. The cashier thought for a while before crying out. "Oh, yes. That was several months ago. She was with someone very strange."  
Starfire looked on in interest.  
"He was green from head to toe and they barely touched their drink before she pulled him out of the coffee shop."  
Starfire was a bit surprised to know that Terra had brought their teammate here without their knowledge, probably on something people call a 'date'.  
But that information didn't help their search and Starfire left in disappointment.  
Meanwhile Raven was walking through the yard of Murakami High school, taking in every face she encountered.  
She entered the building, hoping to have higher chances of finding her inside.  
The hallways were empty and Raven heard indistinct voices from behind the closed doors she passed. And with some use of her dark magic, she managed to get a peek behind each door.  
But each time, her eyes couldn't see any girl that looked like her former friend.  
She turned around when she saw 2 girls exit a classroom, heading for the girls' room.  
Raven went closer to them and once again she used her magic to hear their conversation.  
"Do you think she is sick?"  
"Don't know. I'm sure it has something to do with this weirdo we saw."  
Raven was confused.  
Was Terra taken by this 'weirdo' then?  
"Maybe. I mean he was green!"  
"Maybe he made her sick?"  
Raven stared dumbfounded.  
They weren't talking about Beast Boy, were they?  
"Now that you mention it, ever since he stalked her, she has been acting…weird."  
"Do you think…they went on a date?"  
"Date? Are you feeling well? She said she didn't know him."  
Raven followed the 2 girls into the bathroom and made herself noticed. "Are you taking about Terra?"  
They turned around in surprise, not having expected to be followed. "Terra?" "Oh, great. That weirdo has friends."  
Raven glared at that comment, causing the girl to hide behind her friend.  
"What do you want from her?"  
"I want to see where she lives. Or if she has any places she likes to go to."  
They looked confused at her.  
"Look, we just want to make sure that she's ok."  
"Then tell your boyfriend to leave her alone."  
Raven glared at the girl again.  
Why would she think that immature Beast Boy was her boyfriend?  
"Look, even if we knew where she lived, I don't think she would want us to tell you," the other girl said, trying to reason with the half-demon.  
"So…you don't know where she lives?"  
They shook their heads.  
"She never talks about herself. We practically know nothing about her. And it's no surprise since she is still new here."  
Raven looked at them in surprise. Shouldn't have at least a month passed since the defeat of Trigon?  
Could it be…that she had been hiding all this time?  
And sympathy spread through Raven, realizing that just like her, Terra was hiding from herself.  
Just like her, she was trying to hide from her powers.  
But Raven learned to control them, mostly.  
Terra didn't…yet.  
"Do you at least know any place she likes to visit? Did she ever suggest any place to take you out to?" Raven pressured on.  
The girls thought for a while before one of them spoke in excitement. "Yes, it was just a few days ago and she said that she didn't have so much fun since a long time."  
"And where is that?" Raven asked carefully.  
"The Theme Park."  
Beast Boy reached the gates and morphed back to human, dropping onto safe ground.  
The Theme Park stood still under the sunlight, only a light breeze interrupting the silence.  
His eyes scanned all the rides for any sign of the rock user, each time his determination growing while his hope was gradually dying down.  
His eyes lifted and stopped on the last ride, his hope only a flicker of light. The Ferris wheel.  
He morphed into a monkey and easily climbed up the huge construction until he reached the uppermost cabin, praying that Terra is seeking refuge inside it. Hanging upside-down from the cabin, he looked inside.  
His eyes dropped in sadness and he morphed back to his usual form, dropping himself tiredly onto the seat.  
He didn't know where else to look for her. He thought of all the places she went to and it seemed that she wasn't there.  
His hands clenched to fists, realizing that Slade had won.  
Slade had told him to stay away from Terra…and in the end, it seemed to be exactly like this – even if it was forced.  
Beast Boy closed his eyes.  
He was forced to choose to forget her.  
If Terra was forced to forget…then so was he.  
Maybe…it was better this way.  
His eyes opened in determination, realizing that he had to forget Terra…if he wanted to save Robin.  
He had to focus on their leader…because the one in real danger…was the founder of the Teen Titans!  
So why did tears fill his eyes and made it hard to focus on his mission?  
The changeling clenched his teeth, trying to focus on Robin – but his thoughts drifted back to Terra.  
He closed his eyes, hoping that if he shut them tight enough, his tears would retreat back to wherever they came from.  
And suddenly his eyes snapped open at a sound.  
It was faint but his sensitive ears knew that they were not far from him and what they were.  
They were sobbing – Terra's sobbing.  
He jumped to his feet and climbed out of the cabin. He morphed into a mouse and scurried along the construction until he reached ground.  
It didn't take him long to make out that the sound came to his left.  
He scurried not far…when he stopped in front of cotton candy stand.  
The sobbing had long turned into muffled cries and he could almost see Terra's hands buried in her face.  
He morphed back to human, not wanting to scare her and after all, she deserved to see him…for the last time.  
He turned around the stand and saw the rock user sitting on the ground, leaning against the cart almost as if for support.  
Her hands were buried in her face, low whimpers escaping her mouth.  
It hurt to watch her struggle like this but it hurt even more to know that he was the one to blame for her current condition.  
And in that moment…he wished that he just looked away when he met her after her petrification was resolved.  
But he decided to let her be…for real.  
He only had one more thing to do before he would turn away from her.  
"Terra..."  
The girl stopped dead, her hands slowly removing from her face before she faced him.  
She stared wide-eyed at him, not bothering to wipe the tears that had soaked into the ground under her.  
"I know this sounds silly…but would you like to stop running?"  
She remained silent, her eyes not leaving his. Running – she was tired of it.  
She was tired of her powers.  
But she wasn't tired of him.  
She shakily stood up and he took a step closer.  
"Don't you want to come back home?" he asked and held out his hand.  
She stared at the hand – the hand that had saved her from herself.  
But it was the same hand that brought her to her greatest fear. It was the hand that caused her to lose control and almost destroy the only home she had left.  
She closed her eyes as her hands clenched to fists. Control – how she wished she could will it to obey her.  
How she wished she could have the same strength as Raven!  
How she wished that she was Raven! "I'm sorry, Terra!"  
She looked up at the voice and was faced with a sad smile.  
"I guess it's quite ironic, don't you think?" he smiled amused.  
She looked at him in confusion before he spoke in a strained voice.  
"Now I'm the one asking to be forgiven. And you can choose to forgive me…or not. All I want to say is that I never would have given you that gift…if it hurt you so much."  
Terra watched as he closed his eyes, trying to stay strong in front of her.  
She glanced at the hand that was still outstretched.  
And suddenly she realized…that something was in his palm – her hairclip!  
Her most treasured and most dreaded memories.  
Fresh tears filled her eyes before she looked at Beast Boy.  
Could she take it?  
Was she…strong enough to take his hand?  
Did she deserve to come home?  
And her eyes stared in horror as images of Slade flashed before her eyes.  
"N-No! S-Slade! He's…here! He wants…revenge!"  
Beast Boy opened his eyes, hearing her frightened stammering. "Terra?"  
"He's here…to destroy us…" Terra's eyes had a wild look to them and she took a step back.  
"I won't let that happen. Slade can wait for his chance."  
"N-no, he's…going to get us. He's…here!" she stammered, as if her ears couldn't hear his voice at all.  
"Terra…he won't get to anyone. Cyborg-"  
"…run…we have to run." Her voice was only a whisper as her shivering hands drove through her hair.  
Beast Boy took her arm, trying to get through to her. "I'm here! He can't get to you if I'm with you!"  
"He will go back into my head… and I have to…run."  
Beast Boy pulled her hands out of her hair and stared into her face. "He can't get into your head if the hairclip's not working. Cyborg made sure of that!"  
And almost as if the mention of her hairclip, brought her into that dreaded situation, she shoved the changeling away.  
"Run!" she cried and turned around, her image getting smaller and smaller.  
"Terra!" the changeling shouted after her.  
But maybe this time he had to stay behind.  
Maybe it was better if he forgot about her.  
Maybe the Terra he knew…was a memory.  
He glanced at the hairclip…unaware that Robin had lifted his staff behind him.  
And after that…Beast Boy received a hard blow to the back of his head.  



	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Lost A bright light flashed before the shape-shifter's eyes as he tried to lift himself from the ground.  
How did he get on the floor?  
Wasn't he…still talking to Terra…on his feet?  
Why did his head feel like it had been dropped from the Titan Tower?  
He managed to get on his knees and turned around. Blurred images danced in front of him – images of a figure approaching him.  
The figure had orange and black colors on him.  
And Beast Boy's vision improved with the realization that he had just been struck down by his former friend.  
The green teen managed to get on his feet when he saw Robin charge at him again.  
Beast Boy ducked, evading the attempt to hit his face but was taken by surprise when with a swipe of his legs, Robin managed to trip him.  
Beast Boy morphed into a cat and jumped out of the staff's way before turning into a tiger and charging head-on. Unfortunately, Robin was quicker and as the tiger jumped him, dropped to the floor and using his feet, sent the tiger tumbling over him.  
The tiger morphed into a rhino but a bird-a-rang flew his way before he could attack and exploded right in front of it after the rhino was replaced with a hound, trying to outrun the explosion.  
Unfortunately, the blast sent the hound tumbling across the ground, before he crashed through the cotton candy stand.  
A boy replaced the hound and struggled to get up beneath wood and sweet cotton.  
The staff swung towards him and Beast Boy managed to roll away in the last minute but as soon as he got up, a fist was sent his way, hitting his face full-force.  
The changeling tripped but managed to avoid a fall.  
The shape-shifter sent a fist towards the apprentice only for Robin to grab it but this time, the changeling didn't waste his time and sent his foot into the ex-leader's stomach, causing him to stagger backwards.  
Beast Boy charged, morphing into a crocodile but Robin's staff prevented him from closing his jaws on his former leader.  
With a precise kick, Robin threw the crocodile back to the ground before it was replaced with his former teammate.  
Beast Boy got to his feet only for a fist to collide painfully with his stomach, causing him to trip forward.  
Was this their leader?  
Was he the reason he had to forget…Terra?  
Yes…and no!  
He wasn't their leader and he had to focus only on bringing him back.  
The green teen stopped an incoming fist. "Robin? What's…wrong with you?"  
As an answer, the staff met his face, causing him to slam towards the ground.  
Robin's blurred image approached him and the changeling managed to get on his knees when his former leader loomed over him.  
"Why…won't you fight? I thought…that you hated Slade."  
The silence was shattered when the staff met Beast Boy's face once again.  
The pain in the changeling's head set back in as he tried to get back up.  
And above his heavy breathing did Beast Boy hear the controlled voice of the reason he had to let go of the rock user.  
The voice came from Robin's right ear. "Make him regret…ever following her…"  
He did not know what came over him when the shape-shifter lashed out at his former leader, but he suddenly wished for Slade to hear Robin's cries of pain.  
Just like he was forced to hear Terra's.  
His fist met the leader's face before Robin stopped the second attempt and slammed his Bo Staff against his head.  
The changeling tumbled back to the ground before pain shot up his left arm, feeling the cold metal connect with his bone somewhere beneath all that flesh and skin.  
Beast Boy managed to slip his other hand into his pocket and pulled out his communicator.  
He couldn't beat him alone!  
Suddenly the communicator fell as a metal boot slammed against his hand.  
"I wonder if he learned his lesson," Slade spoke after the changeling let out a painful cry.  
"You're…a horrible teacher, Slade," the shape-shifter remarked, his devotion still intact.  
He got back up to his feet when he felt Robin's fist meet his face hard.  
"Then I guess it's time for your last lesson," Slade spoke and Robin took out Starfire's communicator. It turned on at the press of the button.  
Squinting his eyes to get a sharper focus, Beast Boy made out a picture of what seemed like a stream.  
The picture blurred in front of his eyes for a moment. "What…is it?" Beast Boy asked as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm.  
Robin stepped closer and Slade's voice spoke.  
"I'm sure you remember these…and I know that we will get an agreement."  
The image increased in size and what he saw was not an ordinary stream – it was a bloodstream.  
"What are you trying to show me? Educational material?"  
He heard a chuckle from Robin's earpiece.  
"Not at all. You already know what it is…"  
And gradually, the changeling noticed the small metallic balls that floated inside the vessel.  
"…you just have to look." He thought that…they got rid of them.  
Did Slade…use them on Robin?  
Beast Boy jumped to his feet again and charged at the next best thing to Slade – Robin!  
And in utter rage he began to slam his fist into Slade's apprentice a few times before he countered with his staff.  
What was he doing?  
Robin was in danger…and he was punching him!  
"Even if Robin has those explosives…I'd rather give up than losing him!"  
"Who said anything about Robin?" Slade asked, sending chills down the changeling's spine.  
"What? But who else could be infected?"  
Robin stepped closer until the communicator was only an arm's length away.  
And Beast Boy's eyes made out a name above the picture.  
Suddenly the pain that plagued the green teen, doubled as he realized who Slade was talking about.  
Written in capital letters was the name of one of his closest friends – Terra!  
He was shocked…but he didn't believe it. "You're bluffing! You would have used your chance from the beginning!"  
"This is more effective, my naïve boy."  
"I don't think so," Beast Boy retorted angrily and found his energy gradually returning to him.  
And in a sly tone, Slade's voice carried over the silence of the Theme Park. "Think again!"  
For a few moments there was only the occasional blowing of the wind drowning out the static of Starfire's communicator.  
And suddenly he heard hasty footsteps from the communicator. Someone was apparently running and heavy breathing followed soon after, accompanied by occasional sniffs.  
Beast Boy stared angrily into the communicator, the image very clear in his mind.  
The footsteps stopped before the shape-shifter heard the girl grunt lightly as if she was carrying a heavy load.  
He recognized Terra's voice at once. "Slade! What's going on?" he asked angrily before the girl's voice broke through the static again – this time louder.  
"Tell me what's going on!" Beast Boy shouted.  
"Can't you tell?" the villain asked as the girl cried out once more.  
The titan's hands shivered from the anger that boiled beneath him and charged at the apprentice, aiming for the communicator.  
With a swing of the staff, he was sent back from where he started.  
"How long do I have to keep pressing this button? I hope not until it's too late," the villain taunted as Terra's groans grew more frequent, each time more pained than the last.  
The shape-shifter could literally see her squirming in pain as her insides boiled. "Let her go!" It was an angry command…but his only answer was the horrible voice coming from the yellow device in Robin's hand.  
"I said let her go!"  
The command turned to a vehement request.  
And beneath the cries of pain, Beast Boy heard a pained plea from the former apprentice. "Help…me…"  
"Please…Slade, leave her alone," the changeling cried as tears stung his eyes.  
Terra's voice was the only thing that seemed to speak to him – taunt him.  
Why didn't he just let her be?  
Did he have to give her that hairclip?  
Did he have to make her remember?  
And suddenly the shape-shifter hated himself for trying to make her remember, even though he knew how much it hurt her.  
Robin watched the broken, lost child that used to be his teammate with pain.  
Beast Boy shut his eyes and as his tears dropped to the ground beneath him, he cried his plea, hoping to make the torment stop. "Slade…I give up!"  



	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Hope Only the cries of Terra filled the silence of the Theme Park.  
Didn't Slade hear him? Did he want to hear him even?  
"Slade…I said…I give up," the changeling cried again, raising his voice, causing it to come out shrilly.  
"I don't think I can trust you," the villain mocked as the rock user's cries became weaker.  
The tears blurred the changeling's vision as he stared into his former leader's face, trying to carry his voice once again into the earpiece and into Slade's ears.  
"I'll…do anything to make you believe m-me. Just…please don't hurt…her," he literally begged in front of his leader, sending pangs of guilt through the ex-sidekick.  
"Anything?" came the question as the cries of pain slowly began to die down.  
The shape-shifter's eyes snapped open, realizing that Terra couldn't stand the pain for much longer.  
"Tell me what to do," he cried, staring up at Robin as if Slade was the one that held the device in his hand. He heard something hitting the floor from the yellow device and knew that Terra had probably fallen to the ground. He heard the reluctant shuffling of fabric, imagining her cringing on the ground.  
"T-tell me!" he screamed…before Robin's fist hit his face, causing him to roll on the floor.  
He looked confused towards his attacker as he got back up on his feet, Robin's face blurred in front of his eyes.  
And then he heard Slade's voice speak in a pleased tone.  
"Just hold still…"  
The staff met Beast Boy's jaw and he once again tumbled to the floor.  
He looked up to see Robin swinging his staff again, this time hitting his right leg.  
The changeling could still hear the pained gasps of his former crush above his scream of pain.  
When would Slade turn off the device?  
Metal met his left arm, gaining another cry from the green titan.  
"S-stop," Beast Boy gasped, struggling to get up.  
Robin's foot slammed his stomach, intensifying the blurring images for a moment. Over the tilting surrounding, Beast Boy heard Slade's voice, content evident in his tone. "Just a little longer…"  
Robin's staff sent another wave of pain through the small boy, before Beast Boy heard movement from inside the communicator.  
"W-what…happened?"  
Was Terra ok?  
He heard shuffling once again, realizing that Terra was getting up.  
Robin's face loomed over him after another blow to his head was given. The changeling heard heavy breathing before slow footsteps carried from the communicator.  
"I…have…t-to…run," Terra gasped with difficulty.  
Beast Boy closed his eyes, and with shaky legs stood back up when he realized that the communicator was turned off.  
The staff in Robin's hand spun and swiped the changeling's legs from under him.  
Beast Boy looked up at the former leader, as the throbbing in his head became stronger. "Is…she…s-safe?" the green teen breathed as Robin raised his staff for a critical area.  
"It depends on you," Slade replied.  
It depended on him – everything that happened up until now happened because of him.  
And he had to stop it…in any way possible.  
Robin looked down at what used to be his rather noisy and energetic teammate…but what he saw was a pained and silent stranger.  
But it was through them that he managed to escape Slade the first time.  
And he had to do the same thing to help Beast Boy escape Slade's influence this time.  
And a soundless word escaped the looming boy's lips, hoping the changeling will get the message. "Run!"  
The green teen just stared back at him, not even trying to get up.  
Robin's eyes narrowed in disappointment before a sad smile played on Beast Boy's lips.  
"She…will die."  
The answer was short but clear.  
Robin closed his eyes, trying to think of a way to help his friend out when he heard Slade's voice.  
"Make sure he won't get to his friends anytime soon."  
Robin shifted his aim towards the shape-shifter's legs, forced to break them.  
Beast Boy closed his eyes, realizing that he couldn't flee from what was coming to him.  
And as Robin swung the staff, a green starbolt shot at him, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground.  
Robin quickly stood back up and came face to face with his former team standing protectively in front of the changeling.  
Cyborg activated his cannon, Raven's hands glowed black and Starfire's eyes glowed a dangerous green.  
Robin remained motionless, waiting for orders.  
Cyborg wasted no time and fired before Robin jumped aside.  
A starbolt came flying from above and he shot an explosive pellet before he noticed pieces of the cotton candy stand flying towards him.  
He flipped out of their way before firing a flash pellet.  
And in that blinding light echoed Slade's voice so only Robin could hear it. "Make sure they don't follow you."  
The ex-sidekick heard approaching footsteps and fired another explosive pellet when suddenly a fist sent him flying towards the ground.  
He got back up only to see Raven floating up to him. Starfire came from the opposite side and with a jump, Robin threw another disk before Raven and Starfire realized that their arms were frozen together.  
Robin took a step back when Cyborg came up from behind, aiming another fist at him.  
Robin ducked and took hold of the large teen's arm before he threw him towards the rest of them.  
Beast Boy remained silent as he watched the retreating figure of his former leader.  
"Robin! Terra left Slade! Why didn't you?" Raven shouted angrily.  
There was a short silence before he answered: "Because I'm a hero." His voice held a little sadness before he turned around and dashed out of sight.  
Starfire fired her laser, causing the ice to melt before she floated upwards.  
"Don't go!"  
She turned around at the sound of Beast Boy's voice.  
"We have to get Robin! He couldn't have gotten far," Raven spoke before Beast Boy held out his arm, flinching in the process.  
"We can't! He has Terra!"  
Cyborg turned confused to his friend. "How could he have gotten to her so fast?"  
"I found her…but she ran away."  
"Where did she go?" Raven asked, determined to find her.  
"Let her go. Slade would kill her if he knows we are searching for her," the changeling's voice sounded small.  
"But she is not under his control anymore. How-"  
"She is infected…"  
They looked at their friend surprised.  
"…with the explosives Slade used on us when Robin was his apprentice."  
A short silence as each one of them thought of what to do.  
What could they do when Terra's life was in danger?  
"But we can't just sit here and let Slade do whatever he wants," Cyborg said angrily.  
Beast Boy stood up and turned to his friend. "We can't. We have to."  
"No, we don't! That's what Slade wants!" Raven said in disappointment at Beast Boy's willingness to give up so easily.  
"So you think risking Terra's life is fine, only so we can get to Slade?"  
"We don't have to risk anyone's life. We just have to make sure that Slade doesn't know Terra is with us," Raven replied.  
"Oh, and that's supposed to be really easy," Beast Boy mocked.  
"Nobody said it was easy."  
Beast Boy looked to the floor, realizing that nothing was easy lately.  
"You just have to have hope and you will be victorious," Starfire said encouragingly, floating down.  
"He has us in his hand! Slade won!" Beast Boy shouted angrily, his hands turning to fists. "If you truly think so, then he has," Starfire said her gaze falling to her other friends.  
"But you haven't given up on Terra, have you?"  
Raven's question surprised the changeling.  
"Haven't you been listening?"  
"Then that's a 'no'. And neither have we," Raven said, causing surprise on Beast Boy's part.  
"You only chose to obey, because you wanted to save her," Starfire smiled.  
"And if there is hope for Terra and if we can save her, then we can save Robin as well," Raven told the changeling as he looked at his friends in surprise.  
"And what if…she doesn't want to be saved?"  
His words were filled with hurt.  
"I doubt that after she fought against Slade's control back at the power plant…but if she truly doesn't want to see us again, then we will stay out of her life."  
Raven's words left a big impression on the changeling.  
"And how do we…make sure Slade doesn't know what we're doing?"  
Smiles were visible on his friends' faces, seeing how they managed to lift his spirits a little. "Leave that to me!" the half-robot grinned and they made their way back home, Starfire and Cyborg supporting their hurt friend.  
But their hope vanished as soon as they had arrived at their destination.  
In shock, they realized that the view to Jump City was unobstructed.  
It was because their tower was missing!  



	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Friendship "Our tower! It's gone!" Cyborg cried and scanned the area.  
But he couldn't find their former home.  
Starfire floated upwards, trying her luck as well but it was fruitless.  
"That was Slade's work! He probably distracted us when we were searching for Terra."  
"But how could he have sunk the island?" Starfire remarked, causing Raven and Cyborg to look at her in surprise.  
She was right. The whole island was missing!  
"He…could have used some kind of robot. Like those worms he used once."  
"So…does it mean that Slade's plan…was to destroy our home?" Cyborg asked confused.  
"He went through too much trouble just for this. There must be something else going on," Raven said as she tried to think of a connection between all those things that happened until now.  
And she heard Robin's words ringing in her ears.  
"Because I'm a hero…"  
Heroes don't work for villains - not for someone as twisted as Slade.  
Even less someone as righteous as Robin.  
So why was he still his apprentice?  
Was it because of Terra?  
If it was…couldn't he just find a way to escape this influence – like he did the first time?  
He cared for her after all – just as much as he cared for the rest of them. "Guys? Where…do we…live now?"  
Beast Boy's voice brought a heavy feeling through them.  
What could they do now?  
Build a new one?  
Live on the street?  
Sleep under the bridge?  
"Is it not possible for Raven to lift the island, like she has done before?" Starfire asked, trying to stay as positive as possible.  
"I'll try," she replied and she floated over the water before her hands glowed black.  
And she was right!  
Right under her, using her dark magic, she saw the roof of her beloved home.  
Raven's eyes opened wide when realizing that something was wrong. The gentle waves that occurred on the surface of the water would make it seem like an illusion but Raven saw that their home…was moving.  
She noticed clearly that the roof was coming closer, apparently increasing in size as it moved slowly towards the surface. She floated backwards and stared in pure awe as the roof broke through the surface.  
The tower stopped moving suddenly…half of it still underwater.  
Why did it stop and…who did this?  
Her eyes wandered over to the coast, where her friends looked just as shocked as she was.  
And suddenly Raven noticed something from the corner of her eyes.  
Further along the coast, somewhere between rocky terrain, stood a figure.  
The figure dropped to her knees as her hands tried to lift themselves, the tower trying to lift in the same manner.  
And a small smile graced Raven's lips as her eyes connected with Terra's.  
Raven's hands shot out in front of her endangered home, before the lower portion was encased in black light.  
The tower began moving again as more power was applied to the island that was supporting the large construction.  
Terra managed to get up on her feet again as the pressure was lifted.  
Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire stared in wonder as their home gradually emerged out of the water.  
And after a few more minutes, the tower was finally back where it belonged.  
But Raven noticed that their home had sustained some damage, mostly done to the lower part.  
The island seemed to have gotten smaller and the window of the bottom floor was shattered, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.  
Like it had been blown up before making it sink.  
And Raven knew Slade had to do something with this. The half-demon went back to the coast, passing her friends, causing them to follow her in surprise.  
Raven dropped in front of the rock user.  
Terra immediately took a step back, her eyes on the rock she stood on.  
"Why did you help?" the half-demon asked.  
Terra murmured her answer as if she was ashamed about something. "To make up for what I have done."  
Raven felt a pang of guilt through her.  
Terra had already paid for what she had done when she stopped the volcano from erupting.  
And Raven acted like Terra willingly wanted to serve as Slade's apprentice again.  
But she was controlled – just like Raven was controlled by her emotions.  
"I'm glad that you decided to help us stop Slade," Raven said before Terra closed her eyes.  
"No." Her voice was filled with regret. "I caused the tower to sink. I kidnapped Robin. I stole Starfire's communicator. And I almost destroyed Jump City."  
Terra's hands clenched to fists.  
Sympathy spread through the half-demon.  
And once more did she see herself standing in front of her – a girl that tried to do good but ending up destroying the things she loves – including herself.  
"And you made up…for the things you did, Terra!"  
Terra turned towards the voice coming behind the half-demon who had turned as well.  
Her eyes widened in shock as she took Beast Boy's appearance in.  
He barely stood on his feet, being supported by Starfire and Cyborg, seeing several bruises on his arms and legs. And she was sure that Slade's apprentice managed to break at least a bone, by the way one of his arms hung loosely at his side.  
"No. I caused this. It's my fault that Robin beat you like this," she murmured as her eyes filled with tears.  
"But Terra, you can still make amends with your past. We have forgiven you," Starfire added, after seeing that talking took the shape-shifter some of his strength.  
"You…might. But how could I? Just look what I have done! I don't have the right to have friends like you!" she cried, taking another step back.  
"It's your choice. If you really don't want to come back to us…just say so and you will never see us again," Cyborg said, causing the rock user to stare wide-eyed at her former teammates.  
Her eyes fell on Beast Boy. She had hurt him the most - even after she decided to forget. She didn't deserve someone like him. Not after she caused him to be beaten almost to death.  
And over the throbbing pain in his head, he heard her pained answer. "I…can't…"  
His eyes shut, causing the tears that had gathered in her eyes to spill before she turned away.  
She didn't get far, when dark energy covered two trees and they bent to block her way. Terra turned around in fear when she stared in confusion. Raven stood in front of her, her index finger pressed to her lips.  
Terra was about to ask what was going on when suddenly Raven's eyes glowed white. The rock user stopped dead, feeling something heavy surround her and suddenly everything went dark.  
Cyborg and Starfire watched as Raven's body sank to the floor before Terra's blue eyes turned purple. Having entered her mind, Raven began seeing images of Terra's life.  
And it surprised her that it started from the time when she met them after defeating the giant scorpion.  
The images disappeared as soon as they came. Raven saw Terra running away after Robin found out that she was unable to control her powers. The next one was from the night of her betrayal. The one after that where she sacrificed herself to save Jump City from the volcano.  
And after that was darkness.  
Apparently statues…couldn't think?  
Raven was about to leave Terra's conscious when the image of a disheartened Beast Boy faced her. Terra turned away, walking along the corridors of her high school, as Beast Boy watched her for the last time.  
After that she saw Terra running through the rain, tears streaming down her face – Terra slamming a rock against Robin's head – Terra flying away after placing a rock under the falling Beast Boy and Starfire - Terra picking up Starfire's communicator. But the rock user didn't lie.  
The next image showed Terra using her powers to corrode the island after a bomb has been planted in the basement.  
And then Raven heard words spoken in the blonde-haired girl's ear. "You still have it, don't you?"  
"Yes."  
"Then you know how to get to them should they somehow manage to overwhelm you."  
Terra smirked. "Trust them," she said and pulled out…a titan communicator.  
Raven left Terra's mind, having heard and seen enough.  
The communicator – that was how Slade still had a connection to the ex-apprentice!  
She turned to the rock user, who shakily stood up and with a quick wave of her hand, the communicator floated out of her pocket and into her hands.  
She passed the communicator to Cyborg who proceeded to open it and with a few tweaks, turned off the device. "What…is going on?" Terra asked, completely confused.  
A hand landed on her shoulder. Raven looked at Terra and smiled. "You don't have to run anymore, Terra!" 


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Family Terra stared back timidly, trying to decide what to do.  
But…she told them her answer – she couldn't go back.  
"I'm not…running anymore."  
Her voice was definite and Raven found herself confused by this sentence.  
"And you don't need to hide anymore either," Raven said, trying to get the meaning of her words.  
"And I don't hide either," she said decisively. Raven knew that she was lying – she was hiding from herself.  
Why else would she pretend not to remember her life as a Titan?  
"You're lying!" Raven told her, surprising the rock user. "You are hiding. You are hiding from Slade."  
"What? What is that supposed to mean?" she asked annoyed.  
"That means that Slade is the one who makes you face your greatest fear, Terra!"  
Starfire and Cyborg watched with uneasiness as Raven's voice rose slightly.  
"He makes you face yourself!"  
Terra's eyes grew angry before she shouted at the half-demon. "That's not me!"  
"But that was a part of you," the Empath said, lowering her voice after Terra shouted at her.  
"Being evil – it was never a part of me! I…was just confused," Terra cried, devastated that they would want her to come back and yet, reminding her of her wrong-doings.  
"That's not what I meant!" Raven stated, causing Terra's angry expression to turn into surprise. "Your…powers – he makes you face your lack of control over them."  
Terra's eyes stared back at the half-demon with surprise and sadness.  
No, she wasn't running from him. She came to him for control but when she decided to forget…that was the moment she thought she could outrun him.  
But she didn't know that…through Beast Boy she was running right back to him.  
But now…she was free!  
"I'm not running from him anymore and I'm not hiding from myself. I am not the girl you once knew." Raven stepped back, seeing the finality of her sentence reflected in her expression.  
But what about the explosives?  
"And what if you are the key to Robin? Slade still has him."  
Terra's eyes narrowed.  
"And, in a way…he still has you."  
A painful scream escaped the ex-leader of the Titan's mouth, after receiving another blow from his mentor.  
He had been called to spar with Slade…but each punch and kick sent into his body, made it more and more seem like beatings.  
Robin fell onto the floor after Slade's foot had found good foothold on his knee.  
"It seems that the warning I gave you, wasn't enough to teach you how to behave," Slade spoke calmly, stepping closer to the struggling ex-sidekick.  
Robin managed to get onto his feet, evading a punch but failed to evade the knee that suddenly found itself lodged inside his stomach. "Y-you…don't even know…how to learn," Robin breathed, earning him a punch into his face, sending him back to the ground.  
"But I'm sure…that you have learned quite a lot, Robin – especially what it means to be hero."  
Slade's words sent shivers down the ex-titan's spine.  
He knew what it means to be hero – and that's why he had to stay away from his friends.  
That's why he had to fight them – and hurt them.  
"Prepare for your next mission. You might like this one," Slade muttered as he walked away from the boy wonder.  
Robin didn't make a move even when he realized that Slade had left the hall.  
What had he become? Was he a criminal hero?  
Saving lives only to commit crimes – even coming close to taking lives?  
He remembered how brutally he had beaten the youngest member of the Teen Titans.  
He remembered Beast Boy's sad smile, accepting how things turned out for him.  
And Robin remembered wishing away that broken smile and for a split second, considered any method to fulfill this wish.  
And he saw what happened if he disobeyed Slade.  
Slade knew that Robin had resisted his will on more than one occasion, each time paying a dear price. Slade knew exactly when Robin was playing him and he exploited his weaknesses quite skillfully.  
And this time, it seemed that he couldn't outsmart the mastermind.  
But why was he his apprentice in the first place?  
Only to commit crimes in his name?  
If so, then why him – why was Slade so persistent on him walking in his footsteps?  
"…I might become something like a father to you…"  
Robin felt rage surging through him at the memory of those words.  
Slade was not even close to his former mentor.  
His anger cooled instantly, regret and disappointment filling him instead.  
What would he think if he saw him now – the child he took under his wing to become his own hero – a hero to his former city.  
A child to step out of his shadow…only to step into a much darker one. What would he say if he saw his once sidekick to be working as a villain?  
Robin pulled up his knees, resting his head on them in shame as the word 'disappointment' flashed in his mind.  
But what if this is what still enabled him to be a hero?  
Meanwhile Cyborg was inspecting the damage done to the garage – some of his gear damaged due to the explosion.  
He was shocked to find that the T-sub was one of the causalities. But luckily, the things he needed for now were unharmed.  
Starfire was on the upper floor where the most damage was visible.  
Walls were charred and cracked and windows completely destroyed.  
A deep sigh escaped her throat, realizing how many times their home received damage and how long it will take them to fix this damage.  
Raven had floated up beside the alien. "I know the situation of the tower but Cyborg has more important matters to attend to. When he's done, we can take care of it."  
Starfire looked to the floor. "Do you think that he will be victorious?"  
Raven followed her gaze but gave her an honest answer. "Most probably. He did it once after all."  
Starfire smiled slightly. "And how long do you think the process will take?"  
"As long as it takes."  
Starfire felt uneasy. The more time passed, the further away it seemed that their leader was drifting away – drifting towards the villain Slade wanted him to be.  
"Do you think…we will be able to save Robin?"  
Raven looked at Starfire, feeling the same uneasy feeling passing through her but tried to ignore it. "We have saved him once and we will save him again."  
"But…it is not us this time. Slade…has chained him to something much bigger, something he cherishes more than friends," Starfire spoke in a low voice.  
The half-demon agreed silently with her.  
He was bound to his nemesis by something different this time, seeing that he probably knew about Terra being infected with the explosives yet didn't do anything about it.  
And Robin was too smart to simply not have found a way to force Slade to release him and Terra.  
But what was it?  
Meanwhile Robin found himself in complete darkness as his feet hit gravel, trudging along an unknown path. Whatever he would have done, he wouldn't have been prepared for this. He couldn't know that his next mission included him walking blindfolded to an unknown destination.  
In one moment Slade called him to talk about his mission and in the next, he found himself blindfolded, sitting on the floor.  
And after that, there was no explanation of where they were headed…and what he even had to do in that destination. Robin felt the gravel vanish as his feet found solid ground – asphalt.  
Were they on the street?  
He listened intently but it was too quiet to be the street. There were no cars, no horns blaring, no engines running. The ex-leader listened more intently and realized that there were no other footsteps or voices as well – no people either.  
Could this be an alley?  
But by the way, he felt the heat of the afternoon sun on his back…he guessed that there must be not many buildings around. "Where are we?" he asked, feeling Slade walking close behind him.  
As an answer, the burning heat suddenly left and he felt a cool shade around him.  
Like they were in a building.  
His feet felt something soft under them…something like fabric – a carpet?  
And as they walked further…his feet suddenly moved on uneven ground, sinking a little.  
"Stop," Slade commanded and Robin obliged. "Climb."  
Robin felt for a rope or a ladder and found cold metal meeting his hand and he began to climb. He heard the clanking of metal under him and knew that Slade was following him.  
He reached the top and walked only 2 steps when Slade told him to stop.  
Robin felt no other objects around him as Slade stepped up behind him. His foot moved forward a little…and he felt no surface on the front part of his foot. Robin moved his foot back, realizing that they were high above the ground.  
"Hold this," Slade commanded and Robin felt his arm stretch out from behind. The ex-sidekick reached out instinctively and his hand clamped automatically around the hard, smooth object. It felt almost exactly like his staff with the only exception that this was probably wooden material.  
His other hand reached out as well, suddenly feeling drawn to the object.  
Slade's hand pushed it down. "Take this instead," he said with a hint of content in his voice and another wooden object was pressed into his hand that clasped around it. But the skin of this hand felt a strange heat coming from somewhere above the object. "I want you to take your surrounding in. Take a careful look at it before I tell you what your next mission is," Slade's voice ringing in his ear.  
Robin frowned – he didn't like the tone in his voice.  
"And you do know what happens if you even think of trying to disobey in this mission," Slade whispered, reminding Robin of the word 'hero'.  
Slade's hands worked on the knot at the back of his head and the blindfold slipped off and dropped.  
The first thing that Robin saw were rows of red chairs after he recovered from the sudden bright light that had invaded his eyes. His eyes wandered around and he saw that down below was a circular sand-filled stage. He looked up and saw that the ceiling was actually the top of a giant tent.  
His eyes finally rested on his left hand and he saw that he held a trapeze in his hand.  
And suddenly images of his childhood flashed before his eyes – images of his parents as they flipped and turned in the air. And he saw them catching him as he jumped after them, the crowd cheering loudly.  
He was in a circus!  
His eyes wandered around the empty chairs facing him, the crowd's cheers still echoing in his ears before his eyes fell on his other hand.  
And rage and grief spread through him as he saw the rope of the trapeze suddenly snap, dropping his parents to their death. The torch in his hand filled him with that horrible memory.  
It was only a memory – a memory he tried to hide through the mask he was wearing. But Slade's words turned it into reality. "Burn it!"  



	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Hero or villain? "What?" Robin asked, still trying to shake his thought away.  
"Burn it down!"  
Slade's whisper caused Robin's hand that held the torch to shake. The hand that held the trapeze clutched it tighter, as if trying to save himself from falling - to stop the rope from snapping.  
And suddenly Robin's eyes opened wide in horror. The fact that he was in a circus with his arch-nemesis brought up a dangerous question.  
Did Slade know his real identity?  
He couldn't – he just couldn't destroy the only thing that reminded him of his family. It might be a regular circus…but here was where his life as 'Robin' began – where he had met someone who was just as broken as he was – someone who gave him some part of his family back.  
"We don't have doubts, have we?" Slade spoke in the ex-sidekick's ear. "Then maybe…you need a little convincing."  
Robin turned around suddenly, fear removing the nostalgia at once. "No!"  
Back at the Tower, 4 communicators blinked, alerting 3 titans of a new crime east of the city. Cyborg walked up to Raven and Starfire. "Trouble. I guess our experiment has to wait."  
"And what about…Beast Boy?" Starfire asked worriedly. "He needs his rest. We have to go to the scene without him."  
"Do you think…it's ok to leave him alone…" Cyborg began.  
"He's not alone, Cyborg. Starfire will stay in the tower, keeping watch."  
Starfire looked confused at Raven before she nodded.  
Raven turned around one more time. "And if anything happens, just call."  
With that, Raven and Cyborg made their way to the T-Car, leaving Starfire to take care of the Tower.  
"I know that it's better if we go to the crime scene in groups of two…but why didn't you leave me back at the tower instead of Starfire. You know that I was in the middle of something," Cyborg said as they were driving eastward.  
"And I also know that this was what Slade would probably expect."  
Cyborg's expression turned solemn. "What does it matter? Slade made sure that we can't go through with it anyways. You heard her answer."  
Raven turned to look at him. "The mere fact that she said she didn't have anything to do with Slade anymore is proof that Slade still didn't win yet."  
Raven's words were impressive…but not enough to stop the second question to form.  
"And what about Robin? Apparently he got to him."  
He felt Raven's hand on his metallic shoulder, warm and comforting. "Robin is stronger than you think." Raven gave a small comforting smile, remembering the images she saw when she had entered their leader's mind. "And I guess hard times make strong minds, Cyborg."  
His gaze shifted to the floor, suddenly remembering his parents.  
"And since both you and Robin share similar traits, he still can be saved," she smiled, making Cyborg wonder if she knew more about Robin – and him – than she let on.  
Cyborg smiled back before they realized that they had arrived at their destination. And they were faced with a burning hospital, apparently blown up in an explosion. "Cyborg! Get the wounded out of there," Raven called as Cyborg got out of the car.  
"Got it!"  
Raven got off too and her eyes quickly found a hydrant not far from her and used her dark magic to aid the firefighters in putting out the fire. She just hoped that they weren't too late.  
Meanwhile Starfire was grooming her mutant silk worm in the common room. Silkie moved away from Starfire for the 3rd time and she gave up after seeing him moving painfully slow towards her room, probably for a nap.  
Starfire hung her head in boredom. What could she do now?  
If she had any knowledge about earthling methods of repair, she would have tried to fix some of the damage done to the tower.  
Too bad she was an alien.  
And sometimes she wished that she was a human instead, so she wouldn't feel…left out of the many things their teammates engaged in.  
A small smile appeared on her lips, remembering that it was her lack of knowledge of earth that brought her to her friends. And it was because she was an alien that also brought her to Robin.  
A light blush crept on her face as she remembered their first meeting.  
But unfortunately the blaring, red lights of the crime alert broke her out of her thoughts. Starfire pulled out the yellow communicator, contacting Raven. She saw that she was in front of the still burning hospital.  
"Raven! The crime alert is active. Do I…leave the tower or not do the crime-fighting?" Starfire asked, unsure if it is ok to leave an unconscious teammate unobserved.  
"It will take a while for us to catch up. Go ahead," Raven approved, directing water from the hydrant to the upper floor now.  
"So is it ok…to leave Beast Boy unobserved?" she asked.  
Raven nodded. "He will be fine, Starfire."  
The communicator went blank.  
The alien made her way out of the tower, with a somewhat uneasy feeling.  
Back at the hospital, Cyborg returned with two elderly people in his arms out of the flaming building. "That's the last of them. How's the fire?" he asked.  
"Almost out," Raven replied, directing the water to the last section of the building on the 3rd floor.  
"Need a helping hand?" he asked, his robotic arm turning into a cannon.  
Raven looked on unimpressed. "Your jokes are almost as bad as Beast Boy's."  
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Cyborg grinned and shot his laser at another hydrant to her far right, leaving water spraying upwards.  
"At least you know when to stop forcing laughs out of people," she replied before the water was covered in dark energy and brought to the location of the last flames.  
Meanwhile a certain green changeling woke up from his heavy sleep and he sat up, rubbing his eyes.  
And suddenly he realized that his right arm was bandaged, hanging from a piece of cloth.  
He flinched when he tried to see if he could move it. A sudden hunger panged him; sure that he hadn't had tofu since yesterday morning. So the shape-shifter trudged towards the kitchen and impatiently opened the fridge.  
His eyes wandered over the contents briefly, careful to skip anything meat-related before his eyes rested on his object of desire.  
And in less than a minute or so, he was sitting on the couch, chewing greedily on his tofu sandwich. And as he set up the gamestation, he wondered why the tower was so quiet. "Cy? How about a match?" he called.  
There was no Cyborg to answer him.  
"Rae? Are you still reading that boring book about dragons? Wanna know how it ends?" he teased, hoping to get a reaction from the half-demon.  
But of course, he didn't get even close to Raven's books. It was not like he was an avid reader himself so that joke probably back-fired.  
"Star, take a look at Robin's diary! He writes pretty much about you," he continued, hoping to have found his prey in Starfire's attraction to their leader.  
But Robin's diary was apparently not interesting to Starfire…unless she was in the tower.  
He finally turned away from the TV, realizing that he was indeed alone in their home. "Guys? Anyone there?"  
After a short moment of silence, he turned back to his game. And over the sound of the TV, he picked up the sound of footsteps approaching him.  
Beast Boy turned around and his eyes opened in shock.  
Meanwhile Starfire flew to the outskirts of town when she saw smoke rising from behind some tall buildings. The alien passed the structures and was faced with a large empty parking lot.  
And behind the parking lot she saw a giant tent standing proudly in the evening weather.  
Starfire dropped in front of the tent, seeing smoke rising from beneath it.  
Were people in it?  
Who did this?  
Could…this circus be connected to their former leader?  
She carefully stepped inside, expecting to see some people still trying to escape.  
But she was surprised to find that the giant tent was void of people.  
The tent was engulfed in bright hot flames, eating away at the circus walls and chairs.  
But why was an empty circus set on fire?  
There was nothing to steal and nobody to harm.  
Starfire stepped closer, trying to shield herself from the bright flames and the smoke. And as her eyes wandered for an answer in the burning inferno, her eyes spotted a burning torch lying in the sand-filled stage.  
And the torch gave her an answer: It was only a distraction! 


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Falling The prison of jump city was well guarded with armed soldiers in every corner of the big grey building. Robin had a good view from the roof of the museum opposite of the prison. "You know what you have to do." Slade spoke with an air of command.  
Robin jumped off the roof without another word and approached the large prison stealthily. A giant gate faced him and he turned to the corner, deciding to climb the wall. He briskly walked under the camera and quickly let his arm fly upwards, letting a small disk collide with it, before sparks flew from the disk as well as the camera, shutting it off in the process. Everything had to go quick from now on, since it would be soon until the security would find out that one of their surveillance cameras had been shut off.  
Robin pulled out his grappling hook and in mere seconds was on the other side of the wall.  
A large lifeless yard faced him and he went towards the guards by the giant steel door. They immediately noticed the apprentice on forbidden ground since they got no confirmation of anyone by the gates.  
They pulled out their weapons but with a few disks, their weapons laid on the ground, out of reach. They charged at him immediately, deciding to use their knowledge of self-defense to bring the teen down. But Robin was the more experienced one in the short scuffle and with a few punches and kicks, the 2 guards were on the ground beaten, tied and gagged.  
Slade appeared behind him and Robin entered the building when suddenly he noticed 2 guards approaching from behind. Robin jumped aside, sending his feet into their backs, causing them to tumble to the floor.  
Robin frowned angrily as he saw 2 more guards coming at him. He couldn't keep this up for long. He was wasting too much time!  
His eyes opened wide. Why was he wasting time? He was working for Slade…and the least he should do was waste time until he found a way to escape.  
So why was he here, beating the city's own security?  
He evaded a punch, counterattacking in the process and jumped away as a baton was swung towards him. Robin took hold of the baton and with a strong pull, managed to send the guard flying towards his friend.  
More and more security flooded the entrance and Robin found himself in an unpleasant situation. He took out his Bo staff and managed to strike down 3 other guards when he noticed that the previously struck down guards were getting up. One by one, they slowly rose to their feet, like they were zombies rising from the dead.  
"Maybe you have to resort…to more drastic measures, Robin," Slade's voice echoed in his ear.  
The ex-sidekick clenched his teeth, knowing too well what those 'drastic measures' were.  
But he wouldn't resort to it.  
After sending his staff into another guard's face, his other hand took a circular ball out of his belt and let it drop in front of him before the whole hall was covered in a yellow gas.  
Robin dashed through the gas, passing through a long hallway. He stopped, seeing another surveillance camera and used his grappling hook to simply rip it off the wall. After a few meters, a heavy metal door faced him as well as a charging guard. Robin bluntly charged back and after jumping over the man, sent his staff against the man's head, causing him to slump towards the floor. The ex-sidekick fumbled inside the ward's pockets until he found the security card. He slid the card through the slot next to the steel door and after a green light blinked above the slot, the door slid open. He just hoped that the sleeping gas would give him enough time.  
Robin and Slade passed through another hallway and saw that only every 300 meters or so was a cell. A metal door marked the entrance of each cell with only a small glass pane and a few holes to speak – or breathe from.  
They stopped in front of the second cell and Robin knocked on the door. At first there was no response but after a while footsteps were heard. And then a face emerged in the glass pane.  
"What do you want?" was the question.  
Slade stepped forward and the face looked a bit surprised. "I want to make an offer you can't refuse."  
"And what would that be?" came the skeptical reply.  
"I heard you are very knowledgeable in technology…and mind control. What would you say if you had the chance to succeed in…using your technology – on a specific titan."  
Eyes looked on in light interest. "And what would be my gain from all of this?"  
Robin felt the smirk beneath Slade's mask. "The mere fact that you have your arch-nemesis brainwashed sounds good enough, doesn't it? And I'm sure you can't achieve that without your freedom."  
Robin felt cold dread running all over him when he saw the menacing smirk on Brother Blood's face.  
Meanwhile Starfire escaped the burning tent, deciding where the culprit might have fled to.  
And as she was pondering about this, Raven and Cyborg arrived in the T-Car. "Raven! Cyborg!"  
"Why is a circus burning?" Cyborg asked as he got off.  
"When I arrived, the circus has already been set on fire. I only found this," Starfire said and showed them the now extinguished torch.  
"This must have been what set it on fire," Cyborg said and took it from the alien.  
"And this will bring us to the culprit," Raven stated and gave a meaningful look to Cyborg.  
He nodded and his red eye scanned the wooden stick in his hand and he compared the fingerprints to all the villains'. But no match was found.  
"It's none of the bad guys. Could this be a normal act of vandalism?" the half-robot asked.  
"You forgot someone. Our beloved ex-leader," Raven stated, causing a painful silence to spread among them.  
Cyborg compared the fingerprint on the torch to Robin's in his database. And he couldn't believe when there was a 99% match!  
"It…was Robin," Cyborg muttered, causing Starfire to gasp.  
"And that means…" Raven started when a horrifying thought crossed her mind as images of Robin's troubled mind came flooding to her – and images of a circus.  
Did Slade have Robin already in his grasp?  
But she pushed the thought into the back of her mind. "…that this was only a decoy. It was only to distract us from something much bigger."  
And they had to find out what it was.  
But when they were approaching the T-Car, they heard a voice that stopped them in their tracks.  
"But there are animals in there."  
They turned around only to see a familiar figure entering the burning circus.  
Fire and smoke filled the giant hall as posts and chairs stood aflame. The teen rushed towards the end of the arena and into a back room. His eyes opened wide when faced with rows of different sized cages surrounded by deadly flames. The room filled with indistinct but frightened screeches, growls and whimpers.  
He moved over to the first cage that was only up to his knees and found a German Sheppard whimpering in the corner.  
"Hey there, buddy. I'll have you out in no time."  
Beast Boy took the heavy lock in his hand and tugged on it but the lock wouldn't break which wasn't really surprising.  
But with one arm broken, he couldn't really morph into many animals without trying not to fall.  
He could try though. And so Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla and grabbed the metal bars with his healthy arm and began to pull. The frightened dog moved even further to the back, knowing to stay out of his way.  
The gorilla took a step back while keeping one foot against the cage to stop it from flying due to the strength he was applying to it. But the metal bars were too thick to be simply ripped off and the gorilla was replaced.  
The noises in the room grew louder as the flames drew closer to the cages and Beast Boy stared at the frightened dog in his cage, trying frantically to think of a way to save his furry friends.  
If only his arm wasn't broken…maybe he could have had a chance.  
And as he glanced over to the elephants, horses and the jumpy tiger walking nervously in his cage, he realized that if he had trouble opening the smallest cage, then he wasn't sure if he even could save any of the bigger animals.  
His eyes looked down in sadness when a voice woke him from his thoughts.  
"What are you waiting for? Let's get them out of here!"  
Meanwhile Slade and Robin reached another cell that was located in the end of the hallway. The hall that contained the cell, had a lower temperature than the rest of the prison. Slade walked up to the small glass pane and red eyes stared back at him. "I have heard a lot about you – particularly about your failed plan to destroy all titans."  
"But unfortunately I do not recall you." Robin saw the red eyes shift his way. "But I very well remember the 'king' by your side. And it seems that…he has changed since we last met."  
Robin immediately noticed the computerized voice that addressed him, feeling rage spreading inside him. Slade glanced behind him but continued as if nothing happened. "Your scientific knowledge is what brought me to you. I have heard…that your plan failed to take a certain shape-shifter into account and thus, you were defeated."  
The eyes narrowed. "And why does that concern you?"  
"I would say that as people with similar interests, why would it not? After all we both have had our struggles in the past."  
"What struggles are you referring to?"  
"Our attempts to remove certain heroes from our lives."  
"I do not see any reason to help you," the voice replied.  
But Slade wasn't someone who gave up easily. "I know that you had quite some assistance in your last mission. And I know what I mean when I say that…your choice of 'help' was more than a mistake. You have to recruit someone that actually…is close to your intellect but is still able to excel in other areas as well."  
"And I have found my assistance…in your 'King'?"  
"You will be surprised that this 'King' is on your side now. And I helped him get to that side."  
Robin narrowed his eyes menacingly. Just because he was on that side didn't mean that he was indeed playing on the other side of the chessboard.  
He knew that he was still a 'white King'.  
"But how do I know that a 'fair game' is played?" Slade knew that implied keeping his promises. "Don't you know? When the 'King' is defeated, the game is lost."  
"That was what I thought when he was my frozen trophy." Robin remembered the events like it was yesterday – like it was yesterday he was told that he lost the game before he was flash frozen.  
"But one pawn…was enough to checkmate me."  
Robin shivered when he heard Slade speak in a pleased tone. "That's why I need your scientific knowledge to permanently remove that pawn from the game."  
"And what assures that our game will be won?"  
"I will release your 'right hand' to aid me in the process and once your nemesis is taken out, you will receive your freedom."  
There was no answer from behind the steel door.  
"Or you could still live with your doubt and stay here forever."  
Robin watched the reaction from the prisoner closely. "Let the game commence," Brain's computerized voice echoed through the hall. And suddenly Robin felt like he was falling…into a dark cold pit. Neither his parents nor his former mentor caught him. He was falling into his own darkness – and this time, not even his friends seemed to be able to save him.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Master and apprentice A dark day was passing through Jump City with grey, thick clouds blocking out the morning sun.  
What a weather to reflect their mood!  
After the titans managed to free the animals together, they got informed of some upheaval in Jump City prison.  
But when they arrived, their only task was to untie and wake the guards. Cyborg also suggested interrogating some of the villains – including Brain.  
But, of course, he told them that he neither had anything to do with it nor had seen who did, saying that he was also knocked out by the assailant. But one of the guards that recovered from unconsciousness told them that he had memorized the face of the attacker and the team was more than shocked to know that Robin had managed to infiltrate the highly secure building.  
And the fact that Brother Blood was missing just last night didn't make things clearer.  
So with lowered spirits they went back home to get some sleep. The next day wasn't any better since they had to deal with both Control Freak and Mad Mod in a row!  
They managed to defeat them but had destroyed quite some property while trying to take them out and had to spent a tiring hour to fix the damage as best as they could.  
The result was that they were still sleeping even though it was 11:00 in the morning.  
After another hour, the titans slowly rose from their sleep - one by one, glad that they received a very relaxed rest in a long time. And after they had a very varying and filling breakfast ranging from vegetarian toast and grilled bacon to Tamaranean dish equivalent to earth's cereal, they worked together to change back their tower to its former self. Cyborg worked to replace the T-sub, Starfire replaced the broken window in the lower floor after receiving the right instructions while Beast Boy and Raven worked to repair the damaged walls.  
But of course, thoughts of their leader and his nemesis nagged at the back of each of their minds.  
Question upon question – building up like weeks' laundry.  
All their questions lead back to his nemesis…but they weren't answered.  
And all they could do was push the troubling thought away…since with no lead, they could only wait for their next encounter.  
Heavy footsteps echoed through the dimly-lit hall. Mallah was still suspicious of the masked man that granted him freedom since his creator was denied this freedom…for now as it seemed.  
And the fact that he had been given the task to produce a serum for a certain titan didn't make the gorilla trust Slade even though the promising effects were…intriguing. Brain's right hand knew that there was more to this than meets the eye and he would turn the tables on the masked man as soon as he had the slightest hint that he would be playing dirty.  
The giant ape stepped in front of said masked man and held out his hand. "It might have taken more time than expected but Brain promised excellent results."  
"And I don't expect anything less," Slade said, taking the small syringe from the gorilla and examining it. There was just more than a teaspoon of a strange yellow liquid floating inside the syringe and Robin wondered from the side-lines what those 'results' would do to his former hyperactive teammate. "Now it's your turn to keep your part of the deal," Brother Blood's voice broke in.  
"Ah, how could I forget," Slade muttered and motioned for Robin to receive Blood's technology that was in the form of a small blue computer chip.  
Robin took the chip from his hand and looked at Slade who nodded in approval.  
His hand moved to his belt.  
"Don't worry. You'll receive your reward in just a moment," Slade spoke and suddenly Robin's hand shot up, alarming both, Brother Blood and Mallah.  
The lair was covered in a bright white light before Mallah charged at the apprentice. Unfortunately, he couldn't get far before he felt a strong wire wrapping around his arms.  
"I should have known that you are not to be trusted."  
"You will pay for this!" Blood's angry voice broke through the blinding light who was also restrained by the wires.  
"We will see about that," Slade muttered before Robin's hand shot up once more, letting a black ball drop beneath his feet before he and Slade turned away.  
After the queer, green smoke had cleared, Brother Blood and Mallah were lying unconscious on the cold floor.  
"Is that all?" Robin murmured as they were walking along the hallway, not sure why he asked that question.  
One part of him wanted to know what and especially how the 2 items acquired now worked…and another part of him almost knew the answer.  
But there were 4 titans.  
So what about the other 2?  
"I have enough knowledge about the other 2 team members from…previous encounters with those acquainted with them," Slade said, already knowing what Robin meant by that question.  
Robin was not surprised and it wouldn't have surprised him even if he answered with 'their enemies are currently out of my reach'. And it was obvious how he could get to Raven after working for Trigon and seeing how he used Terra to exploit her weakness – again. Only…Starfire was a bit of a mystery. Was she that obvious to read? He felt shame spread through him when he thought of her. Here he was, literally selling his own team out to his arch-nemesis. And he wondered for how long Slade's game was going to last. "Don't worry. You will see them soon enough, my apprentice."  
Robin's eyes narrowed in disgust – he hated the way Slade addressed him as his 'apprentice'. But he hated the fact that he would see his friends as his enemies even more. "I will see them – but not in the way you want me to," Robin muttered under his breath.  
"If I could make you see things my way…then they would no longer be around."  
Robin smirked, knowing that Slade was right – Robin would never see things his way, no matter what he did.  
And almost as if he saw the smirk from behind, Slade let his message register in the boy wonder's head. "So I just give you a little peek of my point of view. And that is all I need to make you change your way eventually."  
Robin frowned, realizing that in some sense it was true. He had changed – he was no longer the fearless, confident leader of the Teen Titans.  
He was a tense, ruthless apprentice. But he knew he wasn't Slade's apprentice and he knew that Slade wasn't his master. As long as he fought as a hero…no amount of effort from Slade could turn him over to his side.  
He worked for him still as the hero he used to be – he just knew it!  
Night approached Jump City and 4 titans went out of the tower, deciding to have some fun after all that hard work that had fixed most of their tower.  
"So, what's the tour? A scary movie? An all-you-can-eat buffet? Or maybe…karaoke night?" Beast Boy began guessing, obviously not liking to be left in the dark.  
"No, Nope, and nada," Cyborg answered as they walked through the city center. They passed a club, loud music blaring and beating through the walls. "Is it probably the club of dancing?" Starfire guessed, having mixed feelings towards the place from the last time they entered such a place.  
They passed the city's library and Raven stole a glance at the covers beneath the windowpane. "I guess it's not the library then," she mumbled, trying not to sound disappointed.  
Cyborg remained uncharacteristically quiet until they reached a gate, greenery swaying gently in the cool breeze.  
"Why are we here, Cyborg? I do not see anything that would be able to captivate my interest," Starfire said.  
"You haven't even seen anything yet. Wait until you go inside," Cyborg retorted and passed the gates.  
The others followed unsurely, soon walking between trees, bushes and grass. Birds chirped, the frogs by the lake croaked and even a squirrel managed to surprise the teens with its squeaking.  
After a few more steps, they reached a meadow and Cyborg stopped right in the middle of all that grass.  
The others stared dumbfounded when the half-robot suddenly dropped down on his rear before he spread himself fully onto the cool, soft, green ground.  
"And?" Raven inquired with a raised brow.  
"And what? Just let loose," the large teen replied and gazed up at the sky.  
"You know…I can't really do that," Raven retorted, surprised that Cyborg told her to 'relax'.  
"Why not?"  
"Because this is just a park – a boring, and absolutely not-good-reward-after-we-went-through-all-that-trouble-of-getting-the-tower-back-in-shape park," Beast Boy complained. "And I guess I don't have to remind you how we all worked equally hard so we all should have a say in this," the green teen cried, waving his still broken arm suggestively in front of his ignorant best friend.  
"And I thought you would have some respect for Mother Nature. I mean you can practically turn into nature at will," the half-robot half-joked, making the changeling stare back in annoyance.  
"I do enjoy the breeze that ruffles my hair and gives me 'goosebumps' crawling like small insects on my skin. And the sky looks indeed as if it has been punctured by numerous shiny needles that sparkle like the broken shards of glass," Starfire commented and sat down beside the large teen. "And the grass feels like a wondrous cushion you lay your head on."  
"And I'm pretty sure this is a good place to get your head back together, right Raven?" Cyborg grinned at her and she turned away.  
She glanced around and saw that he was right – they were pretty far away from people, hidden between bushes somewhere in a secluded area of the park. Raven dropped on the grass and immediately felt Cyborg's grin widen. "And what about you, Beast Boy? Don't you wish to partake in the enjoying of nature?" Starfire asked and patted the grass next to her.  
"You heard Cyborg and I can totally agree on one thing. Since I can turn into nature at will, why would I want to waste my time with it when I can enjoy it just about anywhere I am?" Beast Boy grumbled in mockery.  
"Oh, so I guess you don't need these then," Cyborg pulled something out of a compartment in his left shoulder, revealing a large assortment of snacks ranging from crackers and chocolate bars to gummi bears.  
The changeling stared star-eyed at the colorful wrappings in the robot's hand before the robotic teen mentioned something about a late-night challenge on the gamestation.  
Beast Boy morphed into a terrier and half-scurried and half-stumbled up to the sweets, not able to resist the offer – and a broken arm wouldn't stop him.  
"So how about a game? Winner gets all the goodies," Cyborg boomed, holding a pack of cards in his hand.  
Eyes stared hungrily at the 1st prize that had been laid out onto the grass. They just managed to encircle the sugary nutrients when the beeping of Cyborg's communicator broke through their sweet-filled fantasies.  
The other titans watched as Cyborg's face turned solemn as he looked at the screen of his communicator. "There's…someone at the subway. And he's on a wrecking spree."  
"Drop-outs?"  
"Gangsters?"  
"Robin!"  
The others looked at Cyborg in confusion before he showed them his communicator.  
The face of their ex-leader was shown before he threw a bird-a-rang, causing the screen to black out.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Nemesis Robin threw a disk at the camera opposite from him, causing it to burst in an explosion. He turned around, throwing disks now at the fluorescent lights above him, leaving part of the station in darkness.  
If someone would watch him from across the railway, he would think that his only goal was to destroy public property – to vent his unknown anger.  
But Robin was here for a purpose and as he attacked the bench by the wall, the purpose only intensified. And he feared it.  
The former leader straightened up and turned towards the railway as a light breeze blew through the station. His face felt cool as the incoming wind brushed across the sweaty surface. Why was he so…stressed?  
He didn't even put any effort in destroying the subway, so it was strange that he was already sweating like he had been undergoing vigorous training.  
He stepped closer to the edge, the wind blowing stronger on his face and he closed his eyes. Sometimes he wished he was dreaming, wanting to be still asleep in the tower after they had saved Tamaran and Earth from the alien invasion.  
Ever since Starfire had defeated Blackfire, things…seemed to go downhill – especially for him.  
He was the glue that kept their team together.  
The train drove into the station, blocking his view. The doors slid open and people filed out. Robin made no move as he watched people of different gender, age and height passing him.  
Some of them gave him a confused look as to why he wouldn't enter and others gasped in shock or murmured about why part of the station was left in destruction. And it seemed that he was still the city's hero.  
But then his eyes rested on a little 7-year old girl with dark hair. She trudged slowly behind her mother but when she saw Robin still unmoving and watching her, her eyes widened slightly with fear and she clutched her mother's dress before turning her face away from him and she was eager to get away from this creepy person as fast as possible.  
And he knew that the longer he stayed with Slade, the faster this status was disintegrating. The train moved again and Robin watched his reflection on the moving windows – a villain in a hero's mask.  
But his intentions told him that he was a hero in a villain's mask. After all, he was the glue that kept the city from falling apart by the crime that runs through it.  
The train finally left the station at high speed, causing the cool wind to return again temporarily.  
But as he stared at the determined, serious expression on each of his former teammates standing on the other side of the railway…he realized that he was now the crowbar that slowly pried their team apart. His eyes rested on Beast Boy's broken arm. It was…3 and a half against him. He should be able to take them on without much problem.  
But he waited for orders, his eyes studying each of them carefully.  
"You are not a hero."  
Raven's words surprised the apprentice. But his face didn't lose their composure.  
"When you fight heroes…you are nothing more than a villain."  
His eyes narrowed angrily. How could they think of him like this?  
How could they readily believe that he had changed sides – even worse, to Slade's side?  
"And who made you 'heroes'?" Robin replied disappointed.  
"It is not important who made you what you are, but what you do once you have realized yourself," Starfire said and smiled at him.  
Confusion struck his face.  
But he knew what he was doing – he knew what sacrifices he had to make when being the 'hero'. "And I know what I'm doing," he replied, his voice sounding almost cold in his ears.  
"I don't think so," Cyborg said this time.  
"It's because you don't know," Robin said, his eyes downcast.  
A short silence.  
"Then tell us…what it means to be a hero! Tell us why you still stay as Slade's apprentice," Raven said, staring determinedly at the teen across from her.  
Robin turned to look at her. Even if he told them…there was nothing they could do. He was already too far for him to turn back.  
The earpiece crackled to life and Slade's voice brought him one step closer to him. "Begin the last phase, my apprentice!"  
Robin pulled out a bird-a rang, alarming the 4 heroes on the other side. "You're too late," he said and threw it at them before they scattered. Cyborg's arm turned into a cannon and he fired it across from him but Robin saw the incoming beam and jumped away.  
Robin found himself face to face with a certain half-demon and he slammed his fist against her which was blocked with a black shield. He jumped back to evade a flying bench and fired a smoke ball. Taken by surprise, Raven felt a metal boot slam against her chest, sending her flying against the wall. But suddenly he was hit by a green starbolt, causing him to plummet out of the smoke. Robin managed to clumsily land on his feet before seeing Starfire charging out of the smoke, firing another starbolt.  
He managed to jump away and fired a disk that she let pass but was thrown forward when it exploded right behind her. Robin advanced her when he noticed another bench flying across from the station. He ducked in the last second before firing his grappling hook, tying itself around the foot of the large green gorilla before he was replaced by Beast Boy. The string quickly pulled him forward and Robin took out his staff, deciding to send the changeling flying back once he came close enough.  
Unfortunately, he forgot about the half-robot who fired his cannon and Robin jumped back, causing the wire to break as the beam shot through it. Beast Boy plummeted onto the rails.  
A familiar breeze ventilated the station and the ex-leader looked at his former teammate who turned to look into the tunnel, still sprawled onto his stomach.  
Suddenly Robin got slammed by a vending machine, sending him against the wall and he flinched from the pain as Raven floated up to him.  
Her glowing hands shot up before a yellow light filled the station and Robin and Raven watched as Beast Boy stared in horror at the approaching train that was about to flatten him.  
"Beast Boy!"  
Robin stared in shock. He just hoped that Slade didn't hear the worry in his voice as he called out to his former friend. "Now use the bait," Slade's voice muttered in his ear.  
But what about Beast Boy?  
Robin managed to stand up and stepped forward before he saw that a robotic hand took hold of Beast Boy's broken arm and retracted, pulling the surprised changeling away just as the train rushed by.  
"Thanks, Cy!" the changeling grinned.  
"Could you tell me…why you are not crying or flinching or even complaining that I pulled you too hard? I mean, I pulled you on your broken arm."  
Beast smiled nervously at his best friend. "Oh, that. Well…I guess…my arm healed faster than I thought."  
"And why didn't you tell us? Don't tell me you thought it would still hurt," Cyborg said dangerously, causing Beast Boy to fidget even more nervously.  
"You know…you've been treating me really nicely the last 2 days since I didn't need to do most of the chores and I finally managed to beat my high score…so I thought maybe I could keep this up for a bit longer," Beast Boy muttered meekly, causing 3 pairs of eyes to glare deadly in his direction. Movement from across the rails brought them back to more pressing matters.  
Starfire, having recovered from the explosion fired another starbolt at her former boyfriend but Robin countered with an explosive disk, nullifying their attacks. The ex-leader jumped out of the way of a rocket that was shot by Cyborg and latched onto the still moving train.  
"Don't let him get away!" Raven called and they followed Slade's apprentice into the dark tunnel. They got onto the roof of the train and saw the retreating back of their former leader in the dim fluorescent lights that kept flashing at intervals due to the train's movement.  
They followed him and suddenly he turned around, sending a disk flying their way and Raven's shield shot out to protect them. But instead of exploding, a white light filled the tunnel and the 4 heroes shielded their eyes before Raven managed to encase them in a dark ball, easing their assaulted eyes.  
Robin's silhouette moved to show him jumping off the roof as the train moved into the next station. The titans followed his example and saw that he was rushing up the stairs as they gave chase until they were out of the station.  
"Where did he go?" Beast Boy asked, looking left and right.  
"Cyborg," Raven turned to the half-robot.  
"Got it, Rae," he replied and his red eye blinked before a screen on his arm lit up, revealing a map. A red, moving dot appeared on it.  
"What are you doing, Cyborg?" Starfire asked confused before he answered proudly.  
"I put a little tracker on our little friend and now we can find him without him even noticing that he is being tracked."  
"And what…if he knows he is being followed by us?" Starfire asked, causing surprise on Cyborg's and Beast Boy's part.  
She was right! Raven knew that there must have been something going on. Why else was he wrecking a subway? It certainly wasn't to get any high-end technology.  
"Then we can't do anything but fall for that trap. This might be our only chance to get Robin back," Raven said, eyes looking seriously back at the rest of them.  
They nodded and followed the trail…until they reached a very familiar terrain – the Theme Park.  
"Does anybody think what I'm thinking?" Cyborg asked but received silence as his answer.  
The red dot was right from them now and they turned in that direction.  
Beast Boy felt anger burn beneath him as he read the sign above the door.  
'Funhouse'.  
They reluctantly entered and saw that the red dot suddenly disappeared. After a few more steps walking through rows of mirrors reflecting their tense expressions, they reached a hall…with no ground!  
They stepped closer to the gaping hole, staring down into the seemingly bottomless pit.  
And suddenly they feared what would await them on the other side.  
"Guys? Are you sure this is the place?" Beast Boy asked, trying to swallow his nervousness.  
"There is only one way to find out," Raven replied and she held out her hands. Cyborg and Beast Boy reluctantly took them before the changeling held out his hand to Starfire who held onto it with equal uncertainty.  
Standing hand in hand, the 4 titans stared into the blackness as images of their leader flashed before each of their minds – Cyborg remembering the time Robin accepted his decision to lead Titans East, Raven remembering Robin and her watching the sunrise after she managed to defeat her father, Trigon, Beast Boy remembering the time they managed to defeat Mallah and the Brain before flash freezing them and Starfire remembering him saying that he was ready to be more than a hero before they shared their first kiss.  
Robin's voice broke through their thoughts from the first time they met and that had guided them up until now. "Titans, go!"  
They gave each other a comforting squeeze with their hands before determination replaced their fear.  
"For Robin!" they said in unison.  
And they jumped into the darkness. 


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Weakness Blackness surrounded them as they dropped hopefully towards their leader, the wind blowing against them as if trying to stop them from falling to their apparent doom set by Slade.  
A small circle of light appeared under them and with each moment became bigger. And before they knew it, they fell through the dark and into the large circle of light.  
Their fall was eased by Starfire and Raven who floated just before hitting the ground, lowering them gently.  
The 4 titans stood in a giant hall, dimly-lit with brick walls and a few glass panes with a yellow light filtering through them, probably from torches. A large computer screen was at the end of the hall with a desk under it, newspaper and notes scattered across it.  
But their eyes were not at the items on the desk. They were on the large computer screen as images of their first encounter with Robin as Slade's apprentice replayed. On 4 different split screens, each of the 4 titans was seen fighting Robin on the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises.  
"Dudes, that's us!" Beast Boy said surprised even though it didn't need mentioning.  
The screens suddenly changed, now revealing them fighting Terra after she had betrayed them for the first time.  
"Why are there clips of us?" Cyborg asked, watching himself charging at Terra with his sonic-cannon.  
The screens changed once again, showing the Titans fighting both Robin and Terra at the power plant. They saw a blinding light before Beast Boy and Starfire interfered to stop Terra and Robin from killing Raven and Cyborg.  
The changeling and alien looked on in sadness.  
The screen changed once again, revealing a very familiar and recent scuffle at the subway.  
"Slade's been watching us – this whole time," Raven stated and the screen suddenly turned blank.  
"What does he wish to accomplish with this task?" Starfire asked the half-demon.  
And before Raven could reply her guess, footsteps echoed through the hall. They turned towards the sound and saw someone stepping out of the shaded area where the torches' light couldn't reach.  
Eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed in determination as Robin stood before them, Slade's symbol reflecting the yellow glow of the fire that lit the hall.  
"Robin…" Starfire spoke, hurt obvious in her voice.  
But Robin's grim expression didn't soften.  
"We know that Slade forces you to be his apprentice. We know that you never wanted this," Raven said sternly.  
"And we know that Slade got to you on a personal level," Beast Boy joined in. "He does that a lot," he added, remembering that he did use similar methods on him as well.  
Robin's eyes narrowed as if the words hurt him.  
"But if you don't tell us what it is that makes you stay with him, then you can't escape from him," Cyborg said, trying to make their former leader speak.  
"It's because he can't."  
Eyes widened in shock and a surge of anger that bordered close to hatred surged through each of the titans as they heard the cruel, cold voice reply.  
"Slade," Starfire muttered, her voice laced with hidden resentment. "This is Robin and just because you say he can't escape your filthy hands, doesn't mean he won't do it," Cyborg called out to the masked man who stepped beside the ex-leader.  
A chuckle escaped the mask before he replied to the half-robot. "If he can't tell you…then obviously he won't even try to run from me," Slade spoke full of confidence and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.  
But Robin didn't even flinch at the touch of his arch-nemesis.  
"Don't touch him!" Beast Boy shouted, angrily pointing his finger at the masked villain. "Don't make me turn your hand into mashed potato!"  
"Beast Boy, it surprises me how you always manage to amuse me even in the most hopeless situations."  
Beast Boy clenched his teeth in fury, ready to stomp him as flat as the mask he was wearing but Raven's voice interrupted him.  
"The situation is not hopeless, Slade. As long as we keep trying to bring Robin back, there will always be hope."  
"Did you think the same way…when Trigon tried to destroy your little world? Or…perhaps when Terra had abducted your leader and fought against you?"  
Raven's face remained fixed in her determination even as the anger for the masked villain grew. "Whenever there is sunrise, there is change and with change…there is hope," she replied, mirroring Robin's words after her father had been defeated.  
"The sun doesn't rise for Robin anymore, "Slade replied. "I cannot believe that! If we have hope, then Robin has it as well," Starfire protested vehemently, staring into the face of her former crush.  
"Then would you want him to tell you so himself?" Slade replied before they turned their eyes towards the former founder of the Teen Titans.  
"You're our leader! He can't be serious," Cyborg said, trying to shove his doubts away.  
He closed his eyes before his mouth moved in an almost silent reply. "He's…right!"  
Gasps filled the hall and eyes stared in pure disbelief at what used to be their leader.  
But his words wouldn't change their belief! "Your words cannot change our view of you! You might say that you are evil…but we know that you are still a hero – you are our hero!" Starfire said stubbornly and softened her expression with a sincere smile.  
He frowned upon hearing her words and told his point of view in a short and cruel truth. "And that is exactly why you are here."  
Starfire and the others looked in confusion at him before Slade leaned down to his apprentice. "I guess it's time…to show them the truth in your words."  
Robin moved to his belt and took out 4 discs.  
Was he really going to attack his own team?  
They refused to believe him. "If you are Slade's apprentice…and if you have truly no regrets about your actions, then do what you must," Starfire said, none of the titans moving to attack him.  
Terra's image briefly flashed across his mind.  
He didn't have any regrets…no, he had to have no regrets!  
The young heroes watched as Robin charged at them and jumped into the air.  
Was this what used to be their friend – what used to be a family?  
Flying above them, he shot out his hand, sending the disks their way.  
Yes – and they had to keep it that way!  
The jumped away but got caught in the explosion, sending them in four different directions.  
Beast Boy recovered quickly and landed on his feet before he felt a fist collide with his jaw, sending him flying even further. He saw Robin charging out of the smoke before a blue light shot out of the smoke shortly afterwards. Robin grabbed Beast Boy by his arm as the changeling was about to charge back himself and with a quick pull, sent him flying towards the blue beam.  
"Cy!" the changeling cried in fear, the blue light illuminating the fearful expression.  
Suddenly the beam was covered in black energy and flew upwards, hitting the ceiling instead.  
Rocks began dropping and Beast Boy jumped out of their way, when another fist sent him flying but Beast Boy caught himself this time, morphed into a lion and charged at his former teammate.  
Robin narrowly evaded a swipe of the paw when suddenly his feet felt tied together and just managed to make out the dark energy around his feet before the lion slammed into him, sending them onto the ground. Robin curled himself up and with some effort managed to get himself onto his shoulders before his tied feet shot out, causing the lion to fly off him as he rolled backwards and back onto his feet.  
And he did so just in time to see the remains of the ceiling flying his way. He flipped towards the approaching rocks and managed to jump on them before he jumped once more.  
He took hold of Raven's hood and with a powerful tug, managed to send her onto the ground, causing the black energy on his feet to vanish.  
"I know you can tell us what is causing you to act like this," Raven said before a fist was sent her way which she blocked with her shield.  
"You know how it feels when there are things you can't run from, Raven." The ex-leader let a bird-a-rang fly, causing the explosion to throw her backwards after she had dispersed her shield for an attack. She slowly sat up, flinching from the impact before Robin loomed over her. "And don't tell me that you didn't hide the truth from us."  
"But…I tried to save you!" she replied, trying to make him see that he also didn't have to run from the truth…because you simply couldn't.  
"But trying is not enough!"  
Anger spread through the half-demon, evading another explosive. "I know that that's not you! Because the real Robin would at least try to escape from Slade's control."  
"And I know that the one you think I am…doesn't exist anymore." Robin threw another disk that Raven let pass, before it burst into a bright light. And suddenly a hard metal object slammed against her, sending her crashing against the wall.  
"I'm too far gone, Raven. And it's time for you to accept that fact."  
Rage spread through the half-demon as she tried to suppress the pain. "No! You were the one that pulled me back in after I fell into my own darkness. And I know you have enough hope for the both of us, remember?"  
A low chuckle escaped his throat. "That was before you let Terra bring me to my arch-nemesis."  
Rage turned into hatred and darkness began to form around Raven. "It wasn't my fault! And it wasn't Terra's either!"  
"Then why am I here? Who brought me here in the first place and who didn't try to bring down the one who caused this? Who failed to get through to me?" he asked, spitting the words like they were dirty, while he felt the shame grow inside of him.  
Raven's eyes glowed red and the gem on her forehead began glowing. "You!" she said through clenched teeth.  
"Then why can't you defeat me? Why can't you save your leader from his nemesis – like I saved you from Trigon's influence?" Robin asked, lowering himself down to her kneeling form.  
Raven closed her eyes, trying to control her hatred. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"  
"Why didn't you warn him, Raven?" Slade taunted and Raven stared at the masked villain in pure hatred, as her vision flashed before her eyes. "Because you only wish to destroy," Slade muttered and Raven suddenly remembered her father, only increasing her anger.  
The bright light faded.  
"It's because…you are a demon!"  
Slade's words caused 2 more eyes to appear on her forehead. "N-no! I'm…not just a demon! I…have emotions…I'm also a…human," Raven muttered, trying hard to suppress her urge to cause destruction.  
"Then why do you fight yourself?"  
"E-everyone…fights. Everyone…has their…s-struggles," she groaned, holding her head in an attempt to suppress the effect Slade's words had on her.  
"A struggle you will lose," Robin said, straightening back up. He aimed at her head with his staff when suddenly Cyborg punched the ex-leader from the right, causing him to roll on the floor before landing on his feet.  
Cyborg shot out 2 rockets from his shoulders to which Robin responded by sending bird-a-rangs of his own, destroying both of them in a cloud of smoke.  
The half-robot activated his cannon, when a disk landed in front of him and burst in an explosion, sending the large teen against the ground.  
Robin didn't waste time and held the large teen against the floor.  
"Robin, that's not the way to be a hero!" Cyborg struggled against the surprisingly strong grip of his former leader.  
Robin found what he was looking for and smashed the glass of Cyborg's head plate and pulled out a blue computer chip.  
"What do you know about being a hero – and you wanted to lead your own team?" Robin replied but the mockery was absent in his voice.  
Cyborg's anger turned to fear as he saw he blue chip make its way towards his head. "What are you doing?"  
Robin pushed the chip into the slot of his headpiece. Cyborg's red eye began blinking quickly and he struggled to regain control of his suddenly twitching robotic body parts.  
Robin stood up, watching Cyborg somehow get on his feet. "Robin? W-what did…you do? I…c-can't control myself…"  
Robin's image projected in his red eye became distorted and screeching and buzzing echoed inside the half-robot's head.  
And then there was a voice. "I control you! You will obey my every will!"  
"B-Brother…Blood?" Cyborg stammered in shock. "I thought you couldn't…control me!"  
And Slade answered him from the end of the hall, watching in joy. "His newest technology enables not only to override any computer instructions…but also emit specific sound waves that interfere with your brainwaves while doing so…until your mind will no longer function according to your will." Slade's voice was dimmed out by the screeching inside his head and the large teen knelt on the floor, trying to block out Brother Blood's voice.  
And as master and apprentice watched the large teen, a ram suddenly slammed against Robin, sending him to the floor. He got on his feet only to see a bear charging at him. Robin jumped upwards, and hit the bear on his back, causing it to tumble forward.  
Beast Boy turned around in tiger form only to have Robin's staff sending him back onto his stomach. The changeling got to his knees when he suddenly felt himself tugged roughly on his hair. "Watch the hair, dude!" he cried angrily before thrusting his elbow backwards only for Robin to catch it and twisting his arm behind his back. "I always thought that you and I were kind of strange. We both worked in a team before and I thought with you being the serious and I the funny type of guy…we couldn't get along. But…when we defeated the Brotherhood of Evil…I guess we weren't that different at all," Beast Boy murmured, trying to loosen Robin's grip on him.  
"You…don't know anything about my past, Beast Boy!"  
"But I know that this Robin wouldn't just walk to Slade like some sick puppy."  
"But you were completely supportive of Terra even after she did for the second time," Robin said, causing Beast Boy's anger to return.  
"You know she was forced…and you didn't do anything to stop it!" he shouted angrily at the boy who pulled a syringe out of his belt. The yellow liquid glowed under the fire's glow that filled the hall.  
"And I have my reasons," he murmured before he slammed the syringe into the changeling's neck.  
In utter rage, the changeling turned into a gorilla, pushing the apprentice away. Robin recovered quickly, clutching his staff, ready as soon as the animal would charge again.  
The gorilla suddenly vanished as a familiar growl sounded inside the shape-shifter. "What…did you do, Robin?" he asked dangerously low, removing the syringe and throwing it away in utter disgust.  
When receiving no answer, he morphed into a T-Rex and swiped his tail against the former teammate, causing the wall behind him to break.  
Robin managed to jump to safety however and saw that the dinosaur also vanished. "What did you do?" Beast Boy shouted angrily as the growl within him grew louder. He didn't know why, but he suddenly wished that Robin would stop moving so he could sink his fangs into him, ripping huge chunks of flesh off him. He wanted to break every single bone the apprentice possessed, only to stop him from causing any more hurt.  
Beast Boy grabbed his head as his thoughts transformed into very vivid images. "Stop…this nonsense, Robin! Stop it…before you get seriously hurt!"  
Robin made no movement as he watched his friend struggle with the Beast. "It's a serum," Slade muttered, causing both Robin and Beast Boy to look at him. "A serum that increases the number of hormones in your body. And those hormones change your response to certain situations…and they intensify your primal instincts that you try to keep hidden all this time."  
"Slade…" Beast Boy growled with hate.  
Slade chuckled in response. "And emotions are a vital part of your instincts. You can try to hide your nature as much as you like but you can't deny what you are."  
The shape-shifter dropped to his knees. "I'm…not a beast!" he shouted, trying to will his bloodlust away. "But…Brain promised me something else."  
Beast Boy shivered from anger at the mention of the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil. Robin felt shame spread through him, watching his friend suffer. "Robin!"  
He turned to the sound when a green starbolt shot at him, causing him to roll backwards. Robin got back on his feet to see Starfire standing in front of him, hands and eyes glowing green.  
"You…don't have to be a hero."  
Robin looked at her in surprise.  
"I thought…that you decided to be more than a hero, Robin," Starfire smiled, a light blush creeping onto her face after the glow disappeared.  
Robin clenched his teeth angrily as images of their first kiss flashed across his vision.  
"And we can help you."  
"No, Starfire. When I wear this mask…I can't be anything more than a hero."  
"Then why do I fight you as my villain?" she asked, her eyes downcast.  
"Because you have to," he murmured and Robin pointed his arm towards her.  
Starfire immediately saw the thermal blaster tied around his wrist and her eyes and hands turned green once again. "Then I will have to do anything in my might to turn you into something more than a hero again."  
The thermal blaster turned red and out of the corner of her eyes, Starfire saw Robin's hand take a disk out of his belt. The alien shot upwards and fired her laser before Robin jumped back, simultaneously firing the disk at her.  
And as expected, Starfire shot out a starbolt at the incoming weapon, causing the hall to be filled in a bright light.  
Starfire tried to shield her eyes, when she realized that Robin could easily shoot her down. She floated to the right when suddenly she felt a strong, burning pain on her shoulder before she dropped to the floor.  
The light vanished and she saw Robin with the blaster aimed at her. With pain, Starfire managed to get back up, her shoulder making each movement hard.  
"I told you that…I am only a hero…and it will always stay like that," he murmured, causing Starfire to look at him in sadness.  
"I don't believe you! I know the Robin I know is still in you!" she protested and tears filled her eyes.  
And hope flickered in her as Robin's eyes widened slightly. "I beg to differ," Slade's voice echoed through the hall, causing Robin's grim expression to return again…before he shot the blaster once more.  
Starfire countered with her own laser, causing an explosion, throwing both Starfire and Robin away.  
Starfire struggled to get up after she had hit the wall hard when she heard Slade speak again. "No matter how hard you try, you will never win this battle."  
"I must disappoint you when I say…I think otherwise," the alien said, pausing for breath.  
"Then maybe it's better if you look around you first," Slade said with a hint of confidence and the extraterrestrial turned to look at her friends.  
Her eyes stared in horror as she saw her friends cringing against the floor, struggling for self-control as their pained cries filled the hall.  
"You have already lost," Slade muttered.  
The tears that had gathered in her eyes finally spilled as she watched her friends suffer. She turned to face Robin only to receive the staff slammed against her face, sending her back onto the ground. "Everyone has a dark side, a weakness…and that's why you have lost," Slade taunted the alien.  
And as she watched Robin's serious expression, the hope in her heart suddenly began leaving and her hands turned to fists – but they didn't turn green anymore.  
"I refuse…to believe that this is how things are supposed to end!" she cried vehemently.  
"As you can see, things don't always end the way we thought they would," Slade said and walked up to his apprentice, complementing on a job well done.  
She looked at Robin for comfort but he remained silent.  
"But why him? Why do you wish him to be your apprentice?" Starfire asked, hoping to use this information to save Robin.  
And she was surprised to see content in Slade's eye.  
"He is more than my apprentice. He is the first step to all of my plans and decisions."  
"So you want him to proceed with all of your evil-doings? And to conquer Jump City through him?" Starfire asked, remembering that he almost succeeded in doing that with Terra.  
"How can I do this if I haven't taken the first step yet? And the first step is always the hardest," he muttered as if to himself.  
"W-what is the first step? What is Robin's first task after he has already done numerous crimes in your name?" she asked, confused and curious at the same time.  
There was a short silence and Robin felt the shame to be unbearable. And he had the urge to turn away from Starfire as disappointment in himself spread through him. "Robin is much more than my apprentice. He is the weapon that will destroy my biggest threat."  
Starfire shivered at the hateful tone in Slade's voice. "Weapon?"  
Slade nodded towards the ex-leader before Robin pulled something out of his belt – 4 explosive disks.  
Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy managed to overhear Slade's next words as they still fought with themselves. "My first step and Robin's first task before we can take over Jump City…is the destruction of the Teen Titans!"  
"But…you could have defeated us when he was your apprentice the first time."  
"That was only a test. I had always planned for Robin to follow in my footsteps."  
"But…Terra-"  
"I knew that Robin was too careful to be taken out by Terra. And he did well. He proved himself to be an excellent apprentice."  
Pure horror spread through the 4 struggling titans before Robin flung the disks at them.  
Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven watched their leader's face for one last time before they closed their eyes, bracing for their end.  
And suddenly the ground before them lifted and spread in front of them, causing the explosive disks to explode upon contact, scattering rocks and concrete.  
But the titans were all unharmed.  
Footsteps echoed through the hall and a figure stepped out of the shadows.  
"Sorry to disappoint you but before Robin comes back, no titan will be destroyed, Slade!"  
Robin and Slade stared in surprise at the girl.  
In front of them stood Terra in her titan uniform! 


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Chains The 4 titans managed to steal a glance at their savior and eyes widened in pure shock when they realized that Terra just saved them from being blown up!  
"What a nice surprise! I didn't expect my former apprentice to come running back to me," Slade mocked, causing Terra's eyes to glow angrily.  
"I definitely didn't come back running to you! I came here…to set some things straight," she said, glancing at Slade's current apprentice.  
"Dear Terra, you know better than anyone that you were always running your whole life. And only because you wanted to help. Maybe it's time to learn from your mistakes," Slade lectured.  
"I'm sick of running and that's why I've decided stop by. I just need to get even."  
Slade chuckled at her response. "I just had the same thought. And it surprises me that you found the courage to come back to your greatest fear."  
A smile graced Terra's lips. "It was because of them – all I did after I came back from my stone prison…was for them."  
She tried to forget for them.  
She tried to fight Slade's control for them.  
She tried to run for them.  
And now she was here…for them.  
"Time to return what you stole!" she smirked and her hands glowed yellow as the ground in front of her broke apart and turned into a spear. Her hand shot out, the spear flying towards the masked nemesis.  
A bird-a-rang came from the right, colliding with the spear before the remains of Terra's weapon dropped to the floor.  
"Try it," Slade's eye narrowed at the rock user before Robin stepped in front of him, staff ready.  
"To think that you were the one that told me to try to escape Slade's influence and even got beaten to pulp willingly because of me – it's…just sad," Terra said sincerely.  
Robin's eyes narrowed menacingly at her. What did she know about his intentions? Did she even know how it feels being forced to work for your arch-nemesis and obey his every command almost willingly?  
"You don't know anything about being a hero."  
Her eyes showed surprise before Robin could see it turn into sadness. "But I know what you would do to become one. I always wanted to be someone who could help others. And I…envied you - how you could be a hero…without ever causing harm to others while trying to do that. You're right! I really don't know what it means to actually be a hero that has fallen victim to evil. My lack of control never really let me experience that feeling…but caused me to accept anything from anyone to be a hero even for one moment."  
The boy wonder suddenly saw the girl in front of him as a whole new person. She reminded him of himself in his first few days as 'Robin'. She was looking for acceptance – just like he was looking for it from his former mentor.  
Terra's words broke him out of his trance. "And once I brought you back to your old self, I will finally know how you felt like from the very first day I met you!"  
The ground shook and cracks began to form. Robin jumped aside before the hole could swallow him whole.  
The ground under her broke apart, causing her to stand on a floating rock before she charged at him.  
Robin threw 2 explosive disks which she blocked with her shield. Her shield turned to a fist and shot out at the former titan leader but with quick responses, he jumped over the fist that had collided with the ground. Robin flung another disk as he flew over her, forcing Terra to abandon her rock. But as soon as she landed and turned to face her opponent, the Bo staff caught her in the face, causing her to fall to the floor.  
Terra stood up quickly, hands lifting above her head before the ground shook again and started to levitate, forcing Robin to jump his way towards her.  
He threw another disk at her and she jumped away when suddenly the whole hall was filled with a bright light.  
A fist collided with her abdomen before the staff swung against her legs. Robin lifted the staff, not letting her recover from the fall, and swung it against her head.  
The light vanished and the staff hit hard surface. The rock around her head crumbled and Robin saw yellow eyes glowing dangerously at him. A make-shift staff of rock slammed suddenly against his stomach before hitting his head, causing him to tumble towards the floor.  
Robin quickly caught himself when he saw the rock user charging at him with her fist covered in stone. He ducked, taking hold of her hand and threw her over his shoulder.  
Terra landed on her feet clumsily, just in time to see a freezing disk fly her way. She countered with a rock of her own; causing it to drop to the ground after it was covered in ice. She saw him charging after her weapon dropped uselessly to the ground and she did the same.  
The staff swung against her head and she ducked, trying to hit him with an upper-cut, only for him to side-step it while sending his foot against her face.  
She tripped but managed to stand on her feet only to see him charge at her again. Terra shifted her view towards the ground before her hands lowered; causing the ground he stepped on to levitate. He threw another disk before a rock slammed against him, causing him to fly in the opposite direction. The disk exploded and Terra got caught in the explosion but sustained minor wounds due to her protective shield.  
The rock user slowly stood up, pain cruising through her head before she slowly lifted her hands and the shield turned to a large pillar.  
The smoke vanished and Robin stood before her with an explosive disk in hand. She knew that she wouldn't make it if Robin threw it directly at her.  
And she remembered the time they were sparring.  
"Would you kill to be a hero?" Terra asked her former friend – her former idol.  
For a moment only silence answered her.  
"Weren't you doing the same thing?" he answered, causing Terra to frown.  
"But you knew what he made you do! And yet you went to him again!"  
Robin was about to reply when Slade interrupted him.  
"And what made you change your mind? What made you stop running…from your fear, Terra?"  
Said girl shifted her view to the masked villain and images of the titans flashed across her mind – images of Beast Boy as he turned away from the TV after hearing her approach him.  
She remembered him giving her his communicator, saying that it was her choice to help the titans get back together – and that he would be ok with whatever she decided to do.  
And after a long inner turmoil with herself, she was following the Titans to the Funhouse and ended up here.  
"Let's say that I stopped being your spy when I found people that appreciate me – with or without my ability to control my powers."  
Slade's expression seemed to be a mixture of surprise and amusement. "The same people who are losing their control right now."  
Their pained cries confirmed Slade's statement but Terra wasn't about to feel hopeless.  
They were Titans after all.  
"If I know one thing, it's that it was those people who thought me a lot about self-control." Her eyes regained their yellow glow. "And I'm not letting a twisted masked guy tell me that we'll lose everything." Terra swung her hand, sending the pillar towards the ex-leader who threw the bird-a-rang while jumping aside to avoid the explosion. It was just in time to see Terra sending her rock-covered fist into his face, causing him to drop to the floor. The rocks detached and turned into a bat.  
Robin held up his staff as Terra lifted the make-shift bat over her shoulder. "I might not know why Slade has managed to get into your head…but you still have a chance, Robin! And this is your last one!" Terra said seriously, her eyes staring into his.  
But Robin stayed silent.  
"If you don't want to listen…then you have to feel!" Terra said disappointed and moved to swing the staff against the apprentice's head.  
And suddenly a burning pain shot up her body, causing her to drop the make-shift bat. "W-what's going…on?"  
Slade stepped closer. "Since you won't be able to take this much longer, I'll tell you why Robin is still my apprentice."  
"W-whatever it is…he won't stay it for long," Terra cried in pain.  
"What's a hero's purpose?" he asked but after seeing that Terra was in too much pain to answer, he did so himself. "His purpose is to save people who need help. But what if his only way of saving people…is to be a villain?"  
And the horrible truth dawned upon the 5 struggling teens.  
Robin felt the smirk form beneath Slade's mask before he confirmed their fear.  
"I finally managed to chain Robin to the only thing that makes him what he is – a hero. I chained him to Jump City!"  
Slade looked down at Terra who gave him a confused look as she cringed even further. "I have planted several bombs all around Jump City and his actions caused me to send off a few – including the one that helped Terra sink your beloved Tower. But there is one that is strong enough to destroy the whole city with the press of a single button."  
Terra dropped to her knees as the pain inside her intensified.  
"And Robin will do anything I tell him to, since heroes know how it feels…when the lives of people are in their hands."  
Robin stepped closer to the dying Terra, the Bo staff tightly in his grip.  
Terra looked up at the blurred image of the one who gave her a chance to be a hero.  
Over her fading senses, she could still hear the pained groans of her friends and slowly realized that if things kept going like this for a little longer…they would lose.  
But he wasn't Slade's apprentice!  
He was a Teen Titan!  
But as Robin raised his staff, Terra felt unsure of what he was.  
And suddenly she heard something that caused her greatest fear to return.  
Over her pained groaning…she heard screams behind her – screams of the 4 titans behind her, realizing with horror that they lost their inner battle!


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Apprentice or Titan? The next moment passed in slow motion and yet happened too fast for her to register in her mind. She heard the shattering of glass as darkness began to creep over the walls of the hall.  
And before Robin managed to swing the staff, a ball of green energy shot at him, throwing him backwards. The apprentice got back on his feet, only to see a familiar green animal charge at him. He turned away, but too late to escape the slash that tore through his suit. Robin quickly turned around to evade another attack from the Beast but was surprised to see him charging at the person behind him – at Slade.  
After Slade had evaded the first attack, merely sustaining ripped armor in his side, Robin made out a small device in Slade's hand, his thumb still pressed against the red button.  
Rage spread through him as he remembered how the device caused his friends to suffer unbearable amounts of pain – how he almost lost them through the same device that did the same thing to Terra.  
Slade managed to swipe at the Beast with his staff before it managed to take his arm in his jaws and flung him into the air. Slade managed to land on his feet, sending his foot into its face after the green animal jumped him.  
Terra no longer managed to keep herself on her knees and dropped weakly onto the floor as her body continued to glow a burning red color.  
Her eyes managed to make out something flying towards her – and she realized with shock that 2 missiles shot towards her that had been shot from a certain robotic titan as his red eyes targeted her. But she couldn't feel her body anymore – only pain.  
Robin didn't know what to do and for one moment just stood there, wondering if Slade would notice if he made a move to prevent a sudden death.  
Hearing the Beast still growling as it tried to get to the device, Robin pulled out 2 disks. But he was beaten to it when the approaching missiles suddenly changed direction after they were covered in black energy.  
Robin looked to his right after he noticed some movement and was faced with a floating Raven in sitting position as she murmured a chant. His blood ran cold as he took in her red eyes and hideous smirk on her face before the missiles flew into his direction.  
He jumped away, seeing that he was too close to fire his weapons. The missiles continued their way…towards the brainwashed Cyborg who countered with 2 more missiles, causing them to explode upon contact.  
The light in the hall grew dimmer as the dark glow encased the whole hall and a few torches extinguished and little cracks began to creep over the walls.  
The computer in the hall began flashing, one image after the other appearing for only a second as if the computer was infected by a virus and the notes and newspaper clippings swirled wildly around the desk as if they were performing a ritual dance.  
Robin saw that some cables appeared from behind the desk, blue lightning emerging from the tips. The glass shards from the broken windows were covered in dark energy before they lifted, the sharp edges pointed at the scuffle that occurred around him. The brainwashed half-robot saw the imminent attack and a compartment in his chest opened, revealing another larger cannon. He activated it and a red glow began to form.  
Raven's smirk turned into a dangerous grin and her demonic voice echoed through the hall. "Time to give me your souls…"  
Robin heard Terra's cry of pain and suddenly he wished that he had listened to Beast Boy when he said that he had seen the rock user…alive.  
Maybe this would have never happened.  
Raven flicked her hands and the shards of glass shot forward as well as the buzzing cables. Robin swung his staff, shattering the glass even further before they dropped to the floor. The rest of the shards lodged themselves inside the wall that was across from Raven, having only grazed Slade and the Beast.  
Suddenly a green starbolt shot at him, sending him tumbling across the floor.  
When he got up, he was surprised to come face to face with a floating Starfire, her eyes glowing in fury.  
"Weak…" she growled, making Robin look at her in confusion. "I loathe weakness, Robin. And as I lay my eyes upon you…I see weakness in you…and I have to destroy it!" she said menacingly. Her hands turned green and Robin remembered the first time he met her – remembered the same hate-filled eyes.  
It was ironic how the same hate-filled eyes lead 5 individuals to find each other and become the Teen Titans. Cyborg shot his cannon at the approaching shards of glass and buzzing cables, destroying them in the process. Raven looked unimpressed at the approaching beam before a shield automatically spread in front of her.  
Slade's apprentice broke out of his thoughts as the alien fired starbolts at him and he countered with his explosive discs, causing smoke to rise. Suddenly a green laser shot out of the smoke and Robin moved his arm, firing his thermal blaster. With an angered cry, Starfire let her hands join, increasing the power of her laser.  
The green beam shot right through the thermal blaster before an explosion caused both Starfire and Robin to fly backwards from the impact. Terra's eyes wandered around the hall, images of Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and Raven fighting each other. Only Beast Boy seemed to know who the real villain was as he still fought with Slade, albeit with more difficulty.  
The Beast rammed Slade full-force, sending him against the rock user and Terra realized that it wouldn't be long until Beast Boy wouldn't know anymore who was friend and who was foe. The viscous animal leaped over the hurting girl, his focus only on the masked man.  
A tear rolled down Terra's cheek, realizing that Slade's only goal was to break the Teen Titans apart in order to destroy them – and he used her to accomplish that…again.  
Raven's shield began cracking before Cyborg's red beam disappeared and the half-demon's shield crumbled afterwards. The computer in the background suddenly turned blank as it sizzled and smoke rose from it.  
Raven's 4 eyes narrowed at the hypnotized robot in hatred. "I'll take your soul first as punishment for your pathetic resistance."  
An ethereal, black raven emerged from the half-demon and entered the robot's interior.  
"T-too bad…robots…don't have s-souls," the half-robot replied reluctantly and managed to press a button at the side of his head.  
The blue robotic parts began flashing at intervals as the computer inside him began processing something.  
Blood's voice distorted as Raven's soul managed to enter the robot's mind and internal memory. The screeching and buzzing inside his head became louder before it began to die down. Suddenly electricity shot up the robot, disrupting Raven's concentration before damage could be done to his human brain.  
The dark raven left the robot's body, Cyborg screaming as he was standing under shock…before the volts stopped and his human eye closed and his red eye faded to black. He dropped to the floor as Raven's soul moved back into her body…but she remained unconscious.  
Slade managed to send the wild animal onto the ground once again and this time it didn't get up at once. "We can drag this on for as long as you want. But this doesn't change the fact that you have lost. And you know who is responsible for all of this…don't you?" Slade taunted the growling animal before it turned towards the one he fought for.  
And somehow his animal instincts began to fade into the background as he saw the hazy look in her blue eyes. His senses reemerged from his sub-conscious as he realized that she was still alive…but knocking on death's door.  
His bloodlust retreated…and so did the Beast.  
"That's right!" Beast Boy replied, out of breath from the fight. He turned to face him and with a look of utter disgust, he replied the masked man: "You!"  
Beast Boy slammed his horns against Slade after he morphed into a ram and sent him flying. His eyes made out the small device that activated the explosives inside the rock user and with a leap, caught it.  
He glanced at the blonde girl and saw that the red glow grew in intensity before he clutched the black detonator in his palm, causing it to crack.  
And in a fit of pure rage, he crushed the deadly weapon in his palm.  
The pain and the glow faded from the blonde-haired girl and he smiled in relief. And suddenly Slade's fist slammed painfully hard inside his stomach, causing blurred images to dance in front of his eyes. "You have long lost, Titans," Slade whispered inside the shape-shifter's ear. And as Terra's closed eyelids danced in front of him…he began to believe Slade's words.  
Beast Boy slumped lifelessly against Slade's fist before the villain carelessly threw him towards the other beaten heroes.  
Robin's throbbing pain began to fade after he had hit his head against the wall from the explosion. He squinted his eyes and stared in shock as he saw Starfire lying lifelessly under a large rock and guessed that since she was closer to the explosion, he was the one who had managed to stay conscious. His eyes wandered around the hall and with each fallen Titan, his hatred and grief grew.  
Footsteps approached him and he stood up, his staff hanging loosely from his hand.  
He received a round object pressed into his hand. It had a small black button on top.  
Slade answered his unsaid question from behind. "Finish them!"  
And suddenly Robin knew what it was – a detonator…to blow up Slade's lair. "Sometimes you have to kill to protect, Robin."  
"And this will…make sure that Jump City is safe?"  
Slade chuckled darkly. "That's what the hero's job is – protecting their city."  
And suddenly images of his old mentor flashed across his mind before he saw himself meeting with 4 confused but brave teens. And the adventures he had with them flashed in front of his eyes in fast forward – all the events that led up to here.  
And here was the end!  
But where did he stand?  
"Any last words you want to say…before they will vanish forever?" Slade asked.  
Robin turned to face Slade.  
But was it as his apprentice…or as a Titan?  



	33. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: Don't own any characters.

Thanks for all who read/reviewed until now. Only a few chapters to go until it's done. ;)

Chapter 32: Robin vs Slade

A long silence followed after Slade had said those horrible words. How could he escape this trap?  
How could he decide between friendship and duty?  
How could he decide between being an apprentice…and being a Titan?  
How could he…when only a few days ago he knew whether to stay on the evil or good side?  
The boy wonder clenched his teeth and realized that he had to make a decision when he saw Slade narrowing his eye at him.  
"The clock is ticking, Robin," Slade muttered.  
If he pressed the button now, then his friends' death was unstoppable…but if he didn't, then hundreds of others have to die instead.  
Could he sacrifice 5 friends for a whole city?  
His gaze shifted to the weapon in his hand and he opened his mouth to speak. "When I came to this city…I wanted to strike out on my own – maybe because I felt that I would always stay behind in my old team or because I just wanted to get away from…my old place, I don't know. But I never thought I would be in a team again – even less be the founder and leader of one. I was tired of it…but when we first met and completed our first duty as heroes - as…people who tried to help someone in need – I felt that maybe this team was different from the one I was on before."  
A small smile formed on his lips. Slade watched with hidden amusement.  
"And different is the right word for it. We all came from different places, were all different beings, and had different pasts. And yet…we were similar. We all tried to cover our mistakes, our pain by doing the only thing that would be justifiable enough to make up for them – being heroes!"  
His eyes left the bomb in his hand and rested on the blonde-haired girl in the center of the hall. "I never really understood you as good as Beast Boy…but I knew your powers were causing you pain and I knew how Slade managed to convince you to stay by his side. I've been there. And…you were a great addition to the team, not only because of your powers but also because of your energetic and fun personality. I guess that our team needed this combination and you seemed…lost when we first found you so why not? And I guess it was a right decision…because you saved us all - twice."  
His eyes shifted towards Beast Boy. "To be honest, there were times I wondered if we ever could get along…but like you said, we both knew how it felt to be inferior in a team and your easy-going personality…managed to get us out of our dark corner once in a while. And when you rescued us from the Brotherhood of Evil…with people you have never even worked with before…I was impressed. And somehow I realized even though we were somehow on opposite ends…we had something in common and that we had managed to…step out of our own shadow. And you were the one that showed me that whatever happens, giving up is like helping your enemy destroy the things you love most – including yourself…and I'm happy that you were part of the team."  
His eyes wandered over to Raven. "You're probably the person I know least about…but for one, I know how it feels to be alone…because I had the feeling that you shunned yourself from the first day we met and I might not know a lot about demons or magic…but I know how it feels to hide the past and why you shouldn't have. Because all that bottled pain would suddenly release itself in the wrong direction if you couldn't let it go. I've been given that chance to let it go – to make use of it in a good way and I'm glad that you got it too when we faced Trigon. And I guess that you were the voice of reason when we all would just lose ourselves in our…own demons I guess."  
He glanced over to Cyborg. "You seemed to be a mix of Raven and Beast Boy. You keep a cool head if things get tough and are the first one to agree to any kind of fun if things are dull. I know we never really got along at times since we both were always…competitive but when you told me that you wanted to lead Titans East…I realized that our intentions were basically the same – to guide our team to victory and to keep it from falling apart. And maybe that's why I wanted you to stay even when I told you that you could stay on their team. And I had never a better second-in-command than you."  
His eyes lowered as soon as he saw Starfire still unmoving beneath the large boulder. "Starfire…" he began and his eyes closed, feeling disgusted with himself. "I guess there were no people more opposite than us. I keep to myself while you mingle with as many people as you can. I'm from earth and you are from space. I'm, most of the time suspicious while you are, a lot of times naïve. I'm brooding but you are cheery. I might not like your cooking skills and you might not like me sitting in my room, overthinking about a crime…but there was something we shared."  
He opened his eyes and a sad smile played on his lips. "It was our thirst for knowledge."  
Slade smirked beneath his mask at those words.  
"You tried to learn everything about earth the day you set foot on it while I tried to figure out any crime that's happening. But that wasn't the only thing that I tried to understand."  
A blush spread on his face and he glanced away for a moment. "I…also tried to understand…more about you," he murmured embarrassed. "You could say that you…were the biggest mystery I've ever faced even though we understood each other almost unconsciously I guess. You know when to pick me up whenever I fall too deep and I think that I know when you're feeling down or left out and I'm happy to see you smile when I find the solution to your trouble." "But there was always some knowledge I was lacking. And ever since…we managed to defeat Daizo…I realized that the things that I couldn't understand…were my feelings towards you. But with your words…I realized where we stood and I couldn't be more happy to have met you since you were the reason…the Teen Titans exist!"  
He shut his eyes, not able to look at his fallen friends any longer and hoped that Slade wouldn't catch a glimpse of the tears that threatened to spill from his tearful eyes.  
The silence seemed to last forever before Slade broke it when he approached his apprentice, standing in front of the alien.  
"That was such a touching speech." There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice but the rage spread through the ex-leader nonetheless.  
Robin suddenly realized how heavy the detonator in his hand was and he felt that it was pulling him down with itself. "Time to say goodbye, Robin!" Slade's voice taunted him and Robin suddenly felt something snap inside of him. He spun around in one quick motion and lashed out with his fist…only for Slade to catch it.  
"Change of plans?" he asked.  
"And I guess that I'll always be something more than a hero," Robin said to his nemesis.  
"So you'll risk the lives of a whole city?"  
"I'll lose anyways…so why should I let you get away with the things you put us through?" Robin said angrily and lashed out with his leg but Slade ducked and sent his foot into Robin's stomach causing him to trip.  
The boy wonder charged again, trying to trip the villain this time but Slade was quicker and jumped and sent his boot into the apprentice at the same time, causing him to fall onto his back.  
Robin jumped back onto his feet, firing 2 bird-a-rangs but Slade evaded easily, sending a smoke ball into the air. Robin just made out the direction of movement when a fist collided with his face before a foot followed. The boy wonder closed his eyes when he felt movement to his right. He stepped to the side, sending his foot towards the movement at the same time and he heard it collide with something. The smoke thinned out when he saw Slade sending his staff towards his face, and Robin took hold of the staff while sending his fist towards his face.  
Slade caught the fist and chuckled. "Stubborn as always. You really hate losing, don't you? You can't deny our similarities, Robin."  
Said person clenched his teeth at those words. "We're nothing alike, Slade! Because you are the villain and I'm the hero!"  
"How right you are!"  
Robin frowned.  
"You are the hero…and you wouldn't want me to change that, would you?" Slade murmured and he watched amused as his apprentice narrowed his eyes at him.  
"You can't change that! No matter what you do, I'll never stop being the hero!" Robin shouted angrily.  
Slade's grip tightened and with a quick twist, managed to send Robin kneeling towards the floor, screaming in pain.  
"We'll see about that."  
Before Robin could recover from his broken wrist, Slade's boot slammed against his face, sending him towards the floor.  
But Robin stood back up, not faltering in his decision to bring Slade to justice.  
He charged again, managing to trip Slade but received the metal staff slammed against his head. Robin stood back up, slower than before. The floor was tilting and he staggered with it before he decided to still his legs. Robin let an explosive disk fly that missed Slade, exploding when it reached the opposite wall.  
He narrowed his eyes to get a better focus and lifted his Bo staff.  
He ran towards the masked man, jumping over the leg that shot out and managed to hit him on his left arm. Robin quickly added another swipe to his chest before aiming for the mask, hoping to shatter it.  
Slade grabbed the metal pipe, sending his knee into the boy wonder's stomach before sending him with a roundhouse kick back to the floor.  
Robin tried to regain his breath when the same boot sent him skidding further across the floor.  
The ex-leader cringed as the pain shot up his insides, feeling that his lunch was about to come out the wrong direction.  
"K-kick…me all…y-you like. I'll…s-still…s-stay a T-titan!" Robin wheezed before he shakily stood up, holding his throbbing head.  
"You can tell this yourself as much as you like…but you'll end up doing what you have to."  
Robin smirked as he took a shaky step towards the masked villain. "And…what makes…you think that?"  
"It's not only you who can destroy the city."  
Robin's eyes widened in shock as he saw that Slade held the detonator in his hands before he charged.  
Robin sent his fist towards the man before Slade took hold of it but Robin managed to take him by surprise when his foot shot out under him, letting the detonator fly.  
But before he could jump after it, Slade helped him by throwing him, causing him to roll on the floor.  
Robin stood up, despite the pain that caused his sight to blur for a moment in a desperate attempt to make out the location of the deadly device.  
His hand was lifted and a cold round object pressed into it, before another hand took his and placed it gently over the black button.  
Blurred colors danced in front of him before he felt strange warmth on his hand that was on the button and how the warmth increased with its heaviness – like something was pressing down onto it.  
"We'll never forget you, Robin!"  
Robin's eyes opened in pure horror at the recognition of those 5 voices that spoke at the same time…before his eyes found their focus again and were faced with the sad smiles of Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Terra, and Starfire.  
And before he could say something…their hands pushed his against the black button, activating the detonator that would blow up Slade's lair…and end their lives!

A/N: Tell me how it was. Hope they don't die. ;)


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Teen Titans!  
The pain in Robin's body intensified when he realized what they had just done.  
There was a long moment of silence as his eyes wandered from one Titan to the next…but they all had the same sad, almost surrendering expression.  
"W-what…did you…do?" Robin whispered the words as he looked down on the display as 00:59 appeared on it.  
"We…help you to stay…the thing that you turned us into," Raven said in a pained voice before looking at her friends.  
"A hero!" Starfire smiled.  
Robin's eyes widened in shock and realization as his eyes tried to look for any trace of deceit in their bruised, exhausted expressions – any kind of sign that they were lying.  
He wanted them to lie to him – to tell him that they rather wanted him to stay as a villain than leaving his side.  
But he knew that's not what heroes would do – what Titans would do.  
"Get…out of here! Run…before you'll be blown up with his lair," Robin cried in panic…but he only received headshakes in return. "W-what-"  
"If we run, Slade will definitely blow up Jump City!" Cyborg said, causing Robin's hands to turn into fists.  
"You know Slade might-"  
"We know that Slade is deceiving…but isn't it better if we choose bad from worse?" Terra asked.  
Robin's mouth hung open in silent protest. Why wouldn't they listen to him?  
"I don't care! Just get out of here! Leave already!" Robin shouted angrily but his team didn't make a move even after his violent outburst. "As your leader, I command-"  
"As your friends…we tell you to leave without us," Beast Boy said, his eyes burning into Robin's, causing him to gasp.  
His view shifted to his fists in his lap that began shivering from anger and grief and disgust. He shut his eyes. "I'm…a horrible leader…" Eyes looked at the boy wonder in confusion.  
His voice broke and he clenched his teeth. "If I can't…save my own team - or even myself – then…I don't deserve to be a leader."  
"You have saved us, Robin!" Terra smiled sadly.  
His hands shut tighter.  
"From our own pain," Starfire added.  
"From our own confusion," Cyborg added.  
"From our own past," Beast Boy joined in.  
"And from our own darkness," Raven concluded.  
But Robin's lost and desperate expression didn't change.  
One by one, hands landed on his still clenched fists, sending warmth through the cold armor beneath.  
Robin's eyes snapped open and his head lifted slowly when he heard voices that sent hope and despair spreading through him at the same time.  
"You have already earned our trust, from the first day we met."  
And the team watched in confusion and nostalgia as they saw a tear rolling from beneath his mask.  
They gave comforting smiles at him…before he felt their arms wrapping around him in a heartfelt hug. He smiled back at them before he shut his eyes, enjoying the last moment he has with his team – with his family.  
They were different…but maybe it was their differences that kept them so close.  
Footsteps echoed through the hall and the heroes' eyes opened reluctantly, knowing that their enemy was still with them.  
"Behind every hero…is a broken human," Slade muttered, causing Robin to become apprehensive as images of the circus appeared in front of his eyes – the circus he burned with his own hands!  
"Why? Why did you want me to burn down the circus?" Robin asked, and his friends looked in confusion at their leader, their arms not leaving his side.  
"You know…I only intended for it to be a distraction."  
6 pairs of eyes narrowed, knowing that Slade wasn't done with his sentence.  
"But your reaction…intrigued me. I had tried to remove any ties that bound you to your status as a 'hero' – as a 'Titan' more precisely - from the first day you were my apprentice."  
Hatred spread through each of the teens with each word Slade said.  
"And when I saw you clutching that trapeze with such determination as you saw the torch in your hand…I realized that for me to turn a Titan into my apprentice, I had to start with his roots – with his time before being a hero."  
Robin felt fear mixing with his rage.  
"When you burned down that circus…I managed to peel off a past of your life – to remove a critical part of what made you a Titan."  
Robin's eyes never left Slade's mask.  
"You are only a boy behind that mask. Tell me, did something happen to that boy in the circus before he decided to hide behind that mask?"  
Robin's eyes opened wide.  
"Something…tragic?" Slade asked on.  
His eyes lowered to his lap, images of death replaying in his mind.  
Raven and the others glanced at him worryingly.  
"So you haven't even told your friends yet…and is that what you call a 'team'?"  
Silence.  
Slade realized that no matter what he said, Robin wouldn't open himself up – not to him and not to his friends.  
The detonator was still ticking away.  
"I'm not interested in your past…only in removing it."  
Robin smiled weakly, hearing Slade's words but didn't move at all.  
He could try all he wanted!  
"I don't suppose you want to die with them, Robin," Slade's controlled voice taunted him.  
The arms reluctantly removed and Robin stood up, face in a stone cold expression.  
"No, Slade. I definitely didn't plan on that," Robin replied, watching Slade's eye closely.  
"Then I guess you have to hurry!" Robin's next words left a big impression on his friends. "Don't worry, Slade! I'll be done with you in a moment!"  
Slade's eyes looked at the ex-leader in interest. "You plan on challenging me?"  
"I'm planning on defeating you once and for all!" Robin said heatedly.  
"And you know what will happen if you do?"  
"I will have saved my friends, Slade!" Robin declared and said friends watched in shock and admiration the person in front of them.  
The boy wonder charged, sending his staff against Slade's arm before coming up behind him and sending his foot into his chest, causing Slade to skid backwards. Robin jumped, aiming his metal boot for his chest again, only for Slade to grab his leg and throwing him back from where he started.  
Robin sat up, pain shooting up his back after the hard collision. "But you know…this will only turn you into a villain," Slade taunted, evading another swipe of Robin's staff and sending him with a punch back to the ground.  
Robin sat back up as his head throbbed with pain. But his determination didn't fade. He narrowed his eyes before he spoke with some difficulty. "No, Slade! On the contrary, defeating you…is what keeps me…a hero!"  
Slade watched amused as Robin struggled to get up, seeing that he had trouble focusing. "And what makes you so sure? After all you're risking your precious city."  
Robin fell back to his knees but a hand held him from his arm before another hand took his other arm. He looked at the sudden support and saw the smiling, hopeful faces of Starfire and Terra.  
They pulled him gently up to his feet and the others supported him from the back until the leader found his footing.  
Robin clutched his staff in front of him.  
Starfire's eyes and hands glowed green.  
Terra's eyes and hands glowed yellow.  
Raven's eyes turned white while her hands glowed black.  
Cyborg activated his sonic cannon.  
And Beast Boy turned into a T-Rex.  
"It's…because I'm a Teen Titan!"  
Slade's eye opened wide in surprise at what he saw.  
Robin smirked at Slade's almost frightened expression. "Titans! Time to teach Slade a lesson!" he shouted and pointed his finger at the masked man. "Let's show him what a 'hero' is!"  
They charged together, spreading out in the hope that they could trap him. Cyborg ran up to him, aiming a punch while Beast Boy charged still in T-Rex form from the opposite side.  
Slade ducked, tripping the large teen before kicking him away and he jumped to the side to evade the dinosaur. It turned around and jumped after morphing back to reveal a blue beam coming for Slade. The masked villain ducked, sending an explosive disk towards him. The disk exploded and Slade prepared for another attack when he saw a flash of green approach him and jumped out of the way of several starbolts. He countered with a smoke bomb, followed by an explosive that caught Starfire off guard.  
The smoke revealed Raven standing protected behind a shield before it disappeared and her black hand shot out towards him, pulling his staff out of his hand before it tried to attack him. Slade jumped away before he quickly let another disk fly towards the half-demon, forcing her to jump back, but still was sent towards the ground from the explosion. Slade approached Raven when he saw cracks appear under his feet. He jumped away from the hole that formed under him before a boulder flew his way. He got hit but still landed on his feet, sending his staff against the boulder, shattering it by the brute force he used on it. Terra let another boulder fly in his direction while she charged on a boulder of her own. But Slade simply destroyed the first boulder with an explosion and took advantage of the dust. Slade came out of the dust and let his fist slam against Terra, causing her to fall.  
Her fall was stopped when she landed on another boulder covered in black energy and she jumped before Slade got to her, revealing Beast Boy slamming his strong lion paws against Slade's chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.  
Slade got to his feet quickly, lifting another explosive disk, having the titans now in point-blank range. And suddenly a scream sounded behind him and when he turned around, Robin had sent his fist full-force into Slade's mask, causing him to fly against the wall from the sheer impact.  
Slade sat up…when he realized that his mask was cracking. And in mere moments, pieces of his mask fell to the ground and Slade covered the right side of his face.  
And Robin suddenly lost the urge to know who Slade was.  
"Won't you ask me?" Slade muttered as he stood up reluctantly.  
"What?" Robin replied as the rest of his team stepped closer to the villain.  
"Who I am? This might be your last chance after all," he asked amused.  
"After all you have put…us through…I realize that I should not look for the man behind the mask but at the deeds that this man committed while wearing that mask," the leader mirrored Starfire's words.  
Robin took a step forward, his staff ready in case Slade decided to drag this on. "My mask makes me a hero but your mask makes you nothing more than a twisted, manipulative villain." Slade chuckled and the anger returned in all of the titans.  
And with an air of triumph he spoke. "But you have lost in the end, Robin!"  
"No! You have no chance of escape now, Slade! Surrender or we will take you by force!"  
"You will fall apart as soon as this bomb will go off…your city is doomed and nobody will ever call you 'hero' again."  
The young heroes remained silent as pieces of the ceiling began to drop down, causing the titans to look at each other in confusion.  
Robin felt a smirk spread beneath Slade's mask. "The bomb that will eradicate your city…is the one you activated yourself and is about to destroy this lair!"  
Eyes stared shocked at the masked villain before the ceiling began collapsing on them.  
"We have to get out!" Cyborg shouted and dodged falling boulders as he and the others made their way back up.  
Robin lingered behind, eyes locked with Slade. He was the hero…and heroes help people and put villains in jail. The boy wonder ran towards Slade, trying to help him escape his imminent death and lock him up for good and Slade's eye narrowed at him.  
Suddenly large boulders dropped from above the villain and Slade just managed to look up…before he was buried beneath them.  
"No!" Robin cried before the ground under him shook. He ran the way back and caught a glimpse of the detonator still lying forgotten on the ground.  
He only had 15 seconds left!  
He met up with the others in the hallway that was filled with dust and falling debris.  
They gazed up the black hole above them before they flew back up using their powers, Starfire giving Robin a lift.  
They reached the hall in the Funhouse but saw with shock that the hallway was blocked by fallen pieces of cement and glass.  
"We just got 10 seconds!" Robin cried and Terra and Raven immediately removed the obstacle using their powers.  
Robin counted the seconds in his mind as they dashed towards the entrance. "5…4…3…-"  
Just before they reached the door, a sudden burst of fire and air sent the Titans flying as the bomb exploded!  



	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Terra – the sixth Titan?  
Smoke and fire rose to the sky, cracks lined the ground and protruded unevenly as more vibrations shook the earth. The Theme Park was a burning wasteland, the explosion having destroyed most of the rides, leaving only fire and destruction in its wake. Cars, buildings and even a few towers stood skewed among the destruction brought to the city.  
The destruction wasn't as vast as Slade made it sound, destroying ¼ of the city and that even half-way but the vibrations that shook still due to the impact of the bomb, endangering the rest of the city, each minute swallowing another precious piece of land.  
And many people were affected and even more were in danger of losing themselves or their lives, as unstable property threatened to drop on them or cracks threatened to eat them whole.  
But the worst thing was that the minor bombs that Slade had planted for Robin…were in danger of going off if there was too much movement in their location. And it was unknown where and how many of those bombs Slade had really planted.  
After the city's heroes had managed to bring back their leader, the bomb went off right when they were about to escape the 'Funhouse'. The strong impact caused 6 teenagers to be catapulted out of the wooden door and flew long distances until they came somehow to a stop, each far away from the other. And nobody knew if they had survived the explosion, even less where they had landed.  
Night transcended into dawn as the city was gradually but surely collapsing upon itself.  
Darkness was all there was.  
Pain was all that was felt.  
But somehow…hope was still there.  
Eyelids opened heavily as the pain returned with double the intensity. Blurred images of dark and light colors danced wildly to the throbbing inside his head.  
Where was he?  
He opened his mouth but no sound came out – it was just painful to move, even painful to breathe.  
The blurring images came into focus for a short moment and in that moment, he realized that he was staring at the sky – a starless, burning sky.  
With horrible amounts of pain, he managed to sit up, cringing as his chest ached in protest.  
"W-what…happened?" he groaned, his voice raspy from the damage his body had received. He looked around, seeing fire and felt little vibrations all around the city. And he knew that the explosion from before…must have caused an earthquake.  
The cracks that lined the streets were proof of that.  
His hearing gradually improved as well and he could make out cries of fear and pain somewhere in the distance.  
The teen shakily stood up, every bone in his body hurting and reluctantly followed the sound, making sure not to fall victim to the natural disaster that threatened to annihilate him any moment.  
He turned the corner of a partially damaged building when his eyes immediately rested on a familiar child with black hair. She sat on the side-walk, facing a crack that broke the street in front of her in half. And as he stepped closer, he realized that she was crying, calling out for her mother. The boy's eyes went over to the crack and he saw a hand clinging desperately onto the foothold.  
He willed his pain into the background and rushed over to the endangered life when the hand suddenly lost their grip.  
The teenager quickly took out his grappling hook and fired it immediately in mid-jump and watched the wire tying around the wrist of the falling woman.  
The string went taut and the boy dug his heels into the asphalt and pulled back with all his might, pain shooting up his body like lightning. He reluctantly stepped back until the woman was back onto safe ground and the boy fell onto his knees from the pain and exhaustion. His arms had begun shivering when suddenly smaller arms wrapped around him and the boy turned to look at the girl crying happily into his shoulder.  
Robin smiled weakly – he was still their hero…  
The amusement park stood aflame as she looked on in shock. Her eyes wandered around, seeing destroyed buildings and vanishing cars as they fell into the fiery pit below the shaking ground.  
A building in the distance suddenly burst into flames as a bomb went off.  
But the things that hurt her the most were the pained cries of innocent people carried by the wind to her. The destruction was too vast for her to take care of.  
She knew her body was still hurting from the events that occurred to her inside the 'Funhouse.'  
As a normal human…she couldn't do much for her home…but with her powers…  
She glanced at her hands – hands that used to bring so much destruction…but also prevented destruction a few times.  
She flinched in pain when she lifted her hands…before they glowed yellow.  
The asphalt under her broke apart and she gently began floating upwards.  
"Terra!"  
She stopped when hearing that voice – his voice.  
The blonde-haired girl turned around and was faced with 4 familiar faces.  
"You know what those powers could do to you," Raven warned but the floating girl didn't reply.  
Cyborg and Starfire stepped closer as if trying to stop her from floating higher…but they just confirmed Raven's statement with their worried stares.  
"I know how you feel about your powers…and if you're afraid…you can leave this to us," Beast Boy murmured before he looked at her, fear written all over his face.  
Terra gave the shape-shifter a sincere smile. "I'm the only one who can stop this…again," she giggled. "Lighten up! We're here to save our home, not to say goodbye!" she tried to encourage them after seeing that their eyes dropped in sadness.  
"But you know you still have a choice!"  
Terra turned around and was faced with the Titan leader. "You can still live a normal life!"  
The rock user smiled sadly. "My life was never normal!"  
"That makes us easier to understand if you wanted to go back before being a Titan!" Robin replied.  
There was a short silence as Terra remembered the times she wandered from city to city as she tried to help people but only ended up destroying. She remembered the hurt she saw in each of their eyes, holding her responsible for the destruction and deaths caused – like she was a murderer, a villain.  
And she remembered running away with tears in her eyes, trying to get away from those accusing stares. She remembered sleeping in caves, under trees, behind bushes and waking the next morning to keep running – to keep looking for a new home.  
But the fire and smoke brought her back to reality…and suddenly she felt scared – scared of what her powers might do to her and others.  
She knew she didn't have full control of herself.  
But she had saved the city once…and she would try again! "Aren't you the Teen Titans?" she asked, receiving confused looks from them. "If I'm trying to save the only home I've known for a long time…shouldn't you be doing the same?"  
Eyes stared at her in surprise before Robin spoke. "Titans, let's get the civilians to safety!"  
4 heads nodded before they rushed to rescue endangered people. She lifted higher before she stopped and turned to face her former teammates who stopped to look at her for probably the last time. "And this is my choice!"  
The 5 titans watched with a heavy feeling in their hearts as Terra floated higher until she was only a dot in the red sky.  
The dot in the sky began glowing yellow as each of the 5 heroes brought another person away from danger zone, occasionally having to be careful not be the ones to fall victim to the danger themselves, like falling buildings or moving asphalt, threatening to drop them into one of those numerous cracks that continued to increase.  
Robin pulled out his grappling hook and used it to rescue a small boy out of a dropping building. The boy fell out of the window and Robin swung just in time to catch him and he placed him on another stable one on the other side. He was swinging backwards when suddenly the building broke, causing his grappling hook to detach.  
The darkness zoomed closer to him as he fell through a large fissure and his hands reached out for some sanctuary.  
But for a moment all he felt was air, and he suddenly saw himself falling from the trapeze in the circus instead of his parents, calling for them and thinking about his former mentor.  
Suddenly he stopped falling and gently was lifted. He looked up to see the faces of his friends as they formed a chain and brought him back to safe ground.  
His parents or mentor weren't here…but he smiled, realizing that his friends always were.  
Terra closed her eyes and clenched her fists as her powers boiled beneath her. Her hands shot upwards and she clenched her teeth in concentration, gathering all that was left inside of her.  
And with a pained but determined scream, the yellow glow burst around her, releasing all her power at once!  
Her eyes opened for one last time to see her 5 former teammates watch in awe and sadness…before their bodies succumbed to their wounds, dropping them like dolls, one after the other.  
A tear escaped beneath her closed eyelids, hoping for them to be alright…before her world turned dark!  



	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Things change 5 Titans sat around their table, silently eating their first breakfast together in a long time. Nobody said a word, since the events of yesterday…or the days before still burned fresh in their minds as images of a masked villain managed to slip in between them inside one certain titan's head.  
And images of the destroyed, burning Theme park followed.  
Did Slade…really die?  
Robin almost wanted to believe it but he willed his thoughts away and took another bite off his bacon.  
It was exactly noon and some of their wounds still hurt but their hunger prevailed in the battle and each of them had literally dragged their body towards the kitchen.  
None of them could believe what happened these last few days…and even less that it was finally over – even if it came with a lot of emotional pain. They still had to digest what happened just a few hours ago and they all agreed that the best way to handle the pressure…was to stay silent.  
Robin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still trying to get accustomed to his old attire. His suit looked…unfamiliar with all those bright colors and it felt clingy to his skin with the cape hanging down his shoulders…almost as if it was dragging him down. It made him…almost miss his other suit.  
Robin frowned – Slade almost managed to turn him over to his side using his devotion as a hero. The ex-leader managed a small smile – but it was his friends that pulled him out of Slade's grasp…again.  
He reached for the eggs when his hand stopped in mid-air.  
4 faces looked at him in confusion…when they mirrored his smile.  
"What? Do I have something on my face?" the leader asked confused.  
"It's good to have you back," Cyborg smiled.  
The ex-apprentice felt warmth cruising through his body at hearing those words.  
"And to see you smile – it makes us happy…after everything that has happened," Starfire added, causing Robin's confusion to vanish.  
And he was glad that they were happy!  
His eyes lowered to his still outstretched hand before it turned to a fist. "I'm…sorry!"  
The 4 smiles vanished.  
"I'm sorry for all I've put you through," he murmured, his eyes not daring to look at his team.  
A short silence.  
"We all made mistakes. And I guess I should be sorry as well," Raven said this time.  
"You were the one that tried to talk sense into me when I wasn't listening – more or less unwillingly," Robin said, referring to their conversation while having their breakfast after Slade used him to deactivate the Tower's security.  
"Maybe none of this would have happened…if I told you sooner about the vision I saw. It was about Slade trying to bring me to him…after Terra and you had already become his apprentices. And Cyborg was the first one to know about this – only after you had already become his apprentice."  
"The past…doesn't matter. We only focus on the future. And whatever waits for us there…we will walk towards the future together."  
Robin's words were spoken not from the mouth of a young boy, but of a grown leader.  
"Really…all of us together?"  
They turned to the voice and saw Beast Boy facing his leader with a serious expression.  
Images of Terra flashed through their minds as she shone golden beneath their crumbling city before their eyes were blinded with the sunrise and they fell into their own pain.  
And for one moment, Beast Boy had thought that she was an angel, fading into the sunlight like she had never even existed.  
Robin's frown returned along with the dropping glances of the rest of his friends.  
After what happened to the rock user…nobody was really happy that their city was saved and they had managed to remove the explosives from her body – a body that wouldn't move anymore.  
They had placed her in Beast Boy's room after they regained consciousness and arrived back home.  
But her stiff body told them that they couldn't do any more for her.  
"We…will try to bring her back! We'll keep trying until she will walk beside us – until she will be part of our family again," Robin said determinedly, lifting his friends' spirit – if only a little.  
They resumed their eating…before they heard footsteps approaching.  
5 heads turned in that direction and they saw…a blonde-haired girl stealing a glance at them. They gaped at the girl before she continued to walk through the hallway.  
The 5 teens by the table looked at each other in shock before they ignored their hunger and dashed after the girl.  
The girl stopped in front of the large entrance of the tower, hearing footsteps approaching her quickly. She turned around and the 5 heroes stopped.  
There was a long silence as the girl's eyes went from one face to the next.  
Their faces were filled with confusion, happiness and fear.  
Terra stood before them in her school uniform…and they realized that she had reached a decision!  
A decision they didn't know they would like.  
"So I'll guess you'll skip breakfast?" Raven muttered, not wanting to make her question more specific.  
"What can I say? I'm…an early bird I guess," she replied but what used to be an energetic and witty reply was now just a bland and cheerless statement. "But I have made a delicious Tamaranian dish for the occasion of the saving of our beloved city," Starfire replied, her eyes staring expectantly back at the rock user.  
She gave a weak smile. "It's not the breakfast, Starfire."  
"I am aware of that but you are the only one…that gives my…dish any respect – aside from Robin I believe."  
"But you still have room for some steak for dinner, right?" Cyborg asked but the girl just shook her head.  
3 pairs of eyes lowered in sadness, realizing that she didn't intend to return any time soon.  
"We're so happy…you're back."  
Terra looked towards the voice and was faced with a smiling Beast Boy.  
And suddenly she just wanted to turn and run.  
But before she could make any movement she saw that the shape-shifter approached her.  
She watched as he stopped in front of her and pulled something out of his pocket. Her eyes increased to twice the size when he revealed her butterfly hairclip in his palm. "I guess you…were missing this, weren't you?" he asked in a low voice before he broke out in a grin.  
Her hand wanted to reach out for it…but that would mean…that she might be forever reminded of the things she did while wearing that ornament.  
Her hands remained at her sides, her eyes moving further downwards until they stopped on her shoes. She couldn't even look at it without remembering her wrong-doings.  
Why did she have to remember?  
A strand of her hair was placed behind her ear before she looked up to see the changeling placing the silver ornament carefully inside her hair.  
She didn't fear it anymore…but she felt a pang of pain when she saw how the shape-shifter looked at her with such joy…and hope.  
And the others in the background mirrored his expression after seeing that she didn't flinch from the silver object.  
She looked back up to tell them of her final decision when she saw the face of Beast Boy leaning towards her. And it took only a moment for their lips to meet. Terra looked in shock at what had just happened…but remembered the reason why she was here in the first place. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment before she gently pushed him away.  
He gave her a confused look. "What? Don't tell me I have bad breath?"  
She smiled involuntarily…but her eyes dropped downwards.  
"Welcome back, Terra!" she heard Robin say…before a communicator was held out to her.  
She looked at the device before she shook her head. "No!"  
5 faces fell in disappointment.  
"I don't belong to your team."  
"But Terra-" Starfire began before Beast Boy beat her to it.  
"But you…saved us all…and didn't turn to stone this time. And Slade is gone for good. Why do you keep running?"  
Her eyes met his, remembering the inscription that was in the cave after she was brought back to life.  
Terra – a Teen Titan. A true friend.  
"I'm not running!"  
"Then what is it? If it's because of your powers…then let me tell you that we want you back…even with your powers – even if you can't control them completely!"  
"It's not because of my powers…but because of trust," she murmured. "But we trust you, Terra – all of us," Raven said this time and Terra looked in surprise at hearing those words from her mouth. "And friends trust each other…under any circumstances."  
Terra felt strange warmth flow through her at the mention that Raven called her 'friend' – that they all wanted to be friends with her.  
But she shut her eyes. "We might be friends…but I'm not a Teen Titan!"  
"If you're our friend…then why can't you come back to our team? We trust you…and I'm sure that you trust us…so why can't you be a Titan anymore?" Beast Boy cried.  
Her eyes opened and Terra smiled sadly at her former teammates. "It's because…I can't trust myself!"  
Eyes opened wide as her words echoed through the Tower.  
"No matter how much I try to deny it…I can't escape from the things I've put you guys through."  
"You paid for them, Terra – for all of them!" the shape-shifter shouted almost angrily at her.  
"Did I pay for the things I did to myself?"  
He looked at her in confusion.  
"You might have forgiven me…but I still can't forgive myself. I can't forgive myself for hurting you," she murmured sadly.  
"And what if I tell you that you deciding to forget again…hurts more than anything you have done to us?"  
"Why do you think so?"  
"Because I know that it hurts you at least just as much as us."  
Terra's eyes opened wide at his words but smiled. "And from hurt…heroes are born."  
"Terra…"  
Beast Boy fought back the tears as his hands clenched to fists, realizing that there was not much he could do to change her mind.  
And seeing him struggle caused Terra to take his hands and he looked in confusion at the tearful girl in front of him.  
"Things change, Beast Boy!"  
But why did they?  
"I'm not the girl you once knew."  
The others dropped their heads in sadness.  
"I might be your friend…but I'm not a Teen Titan. The girl you want me to be is just a memory."  
"A memory I will turn to reality!" he declared, causing his friends to look up at him.  
"When you gave me the communicator you said to use it whenever I needed you. But I don't need you - none of you!"  
Terra stared determinedly back at the young heroes before one by one they turned away, realizing that they couldn't change her mind.  
Beast Boy refused to give up on her, still staring back at her.  
"I'm no longer afraid of my powers. I don't run from myself anymore. I'm not the same girl you met the first time." She smiled while a small blush sneaked onto her cheeks. "And it's because you believed in me…even after I betrayed you. You believed that I could change…and the girl you see in front of you now…is the result of that change."  
He gaped at her, not knowing what to say before his eyes lowered. "So you…are sure that you don't want to come back?" His voice was small. "I can't…" she replied and turned away before a tear spilled.  
And as Beast Boy heard the fading footsteps of the rock user he thought he heard a whisper carried by the incoming wind that entered through the opened door. "…for now…"


	37. Epilogue

Epilogue The next days passed painfully slow with only minor thieves trying to rob either a passing civilian or a jewelry store. The thief that tried to rob the civilian was rather easy to take care of since he was all by himself…and because he had fear of heights as Starfire found out after tackling the escaping man and flew into the air after which the man turned white as a ghost and had literally begged for his life. The gang that followed proved to be a bit of a problem since they were armed. And the fact that Robin got a little distracted when they arrived and his eyes fixed on one of them as he tried to carefully remove the glass panel of the display case. And as his gloved hand shakily reached out for a diamond covered necklace, Robin remembered Slade's voice – he heard his voice like he was standing right behind him, alive.  
"It was a thrill, wasn't it?"  
And suddenly the robbery faded into nothing and Robin found himself sneaking through highly guarded military area. His hands worked to deactivate the security system and reached out for the detonator of the bomb that was supposed to 'be used to render other villains he might encounter useless', not knowing that it was the weapon that would eventually destroy all his ties to his former life - friends and home included. And as his hand reached out for the round, metallic device…he realized that Slade was right.  
He did feel a certain thrill, simply trying to get something he shouldn't have…and the soldiers he fought while trying to escape only added to the rush he felt…and in a sense, he liked it. He knew that he was improving drastically ever since he became Slade's apprentice again. And at the same time…he hated it!  
Because that only confirmed Slade's claim that they were similar!  
But somehow his devotion to his friends…to his home only increased with that realization and managed to pull him out of his own fall into complete villainy. He was only brought back to reality when the security alarm went off and the man had aimed his gun at him. After that, a short scuffle occurred and the Titans managed to emerge victorious.  
But after seeing Robin's pensive expression, nobody said much on their way home, realizing that he must have been thinking about recent events.  
The next morning all 5 friends woke up rather early as hunger plagued them yet again after coming home much too late to be in the mood to make any dinner.  
They had just finished their breakfast when the Tower was filled with the lights and noise of their crime alert. "Aww, just when I wanted to beat my high score," Beast Boy whined, obviously talking about one of his numerous video games. "You can't beat your high score," Raven stated bluntly as they made their way outside. "So you wanna tell me that you beat my high score? Just tell me you're jealous of my skills," Beast Boy grinned and Raven gave him a death stare.  
"Why would I be jealous of wasting my time on something I have already done only to see if I feel better about myself after getting higher numbers on a thing as trivial as videogames?" Raven replied.  
"Because…it's not as boring as books."  
"At least it requires some kind of knowledge and I don't have to read it repeatedly to get enjoyment out of it…unlike your videogames…even a monkey can play them," she finished her sentence and the shape-shifter looked annoyed after her as they were dashing out of the Tower.  
Cyborg sulked, realizing that his 'baby' had to sit this crime out.  
Their mainframe computer had located a crime close to 'Murakami High School'. Not knowing what to expect, Robin randomly guessed what villains might encounter them, ranging from the HIVE to Professor Chang.  
Starfire looked up at the mention of his name. "Robin? When we were looking for you, I have come into contact with Red X…and he said that your sudden disappearance…was a disappointment…for someone specific."  
Robin's head shot upwards.  
Red X had someone that knew him?  
"Who?"  
"I do not know," Starfire replied, realizing that Robin couldn't provide her with answers.  
Could it be…that Robin knew that 'certain someone'? They turned the corner and were running along the wall of a certain school yard when the looming image of a certain killer moth appeared in the distance.  
Nobody slowed their steps…as a school girl was passing them, eager to get to her school – a girl with blonde hair.  
They were only fixed on the villain that was about to unleash trouble for their city.  
Only Beast Boy turned his head slightly and green eyes met blue ones…before the girl gave a small smile. The shape-shifter smiled back before he turned his attention to his friends who had stopped in front of the mutant insect. "Titans! This time your city will belong to me!" Killer Moth dramatically declared as hundreds of his mutant 'children' flew up behind him.  
The blonde-haired girl stopped in her tracks, her smile still on her face but didn't turn around.  
The 5 heroes smirked at their villain before Robin spoke. "Sorry but no pets allowed!" he replied and the 5 heroes readied for attack.  
Terra quietly murmured the same words that the Titan leader shouted to his team at the same time before the 5 heroes charged at Killer Moth – words that might someday be directed at her as well. "Titans…go!"


End file.
